There are 461,000 nurses in Italy, but the proportion of foreign-born healthcare professionals is increasing, from 45,200 in October 2025 to 46,000 today. Every year, some 6,000 nurses leave Italy, largely for Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 2025 alone, almost 11,300 nurses voluntarily departed from the public health service, up from 9,800 in 2024. The increase in international healthcare professionals is offsetting a significant professional hemorrhage. Today, 65% of foreign professionals are not Italian citizens and work mostly in the commercial sector or cooperatives. Communities from Romania, Albania, Poland, India, Peru, and Ukraine are the most well-represented. "We are proud of the professional integration, collaboration, and humanity that foreign-born nurses demonstrate in Italian departments on a daily basis. They are sustaining Italian hospital corridors by compensating for staff shortages and the flight of thousands of professionals abroad,” said Professor Foad Aodi, physiatrist and founder of the Association of Doctors of Foreign Origin in Italy. "We extend our warmest regards to all nurses and the professional associations that ensure the safety, care, and humanity of citizens on a daily basis. The professional and training level of nursing professions in Italy is among the highest in the world, as evidenced by the steady flow of international requests".