Hanover. At the end of 2024, more than half a million people were employed in Lower Saxony's healthcare sector. According to figures released Tuesday by the State Office for Statistics Lower Saxony (LSN), a total of 576,400 individuals worked in the field—an increase of roughly 8,300 employees, or 1.5 percent, compared to the previous year.

Lower Saxony's healthcare workforce grows by 1.5% in 2024, women dominate at 77%

The majority of staff were employed in outpatient facilities such as medical practices (43.0 percent) and inpatient settings like hospitals (38.5 percent).

When adjusted for full-time equivalents, the workforce totaled approximately 401,500, nearly one-third lower than the overall headcount—a reflection of the sector's high prevalence of part-time work. Statistically, 100 employees corresponded to about 70 full-time positions.

Administrative institutions and health protection services recorded the highest full-time equivalent rates, with 83 per 100 employees in each category.

Women made up 76.9 percent of Lower Saxony's healthcare workforce, a figure that has remained largely unchanged over the past 15 years. The share of female employees was highest in outpatient care, at 81.8 percent.

By contrast, emergency medical services had a significantly below-average proportion of women, with just 34.0 percent of staff being female.