Income of private doctors: a slight increase which hides large disparities

The income of private doctors differs greatly depending on the specialty, between sectors of agreement but also between doctors in the same specialty.

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The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees) of the Ministry of Health unveiled, Friday, December 20, a study on the evolution of the income of private doctors between 2017 and 2021. It shows that In 2021, self-employed doctors received an average of 124,000 euros in annual income, or 10,000 euros per month. This amount includes both income from their self-employed activity and income from salaried activity for the 31% of them working in mixed mode.

An average income that hides large gaps

These figures mask significant disparities between specialties. At the top of the scale, radiotherapists reach average incomes of 417,500 euros, while pediatricians bring up the rear with 88,400 euros. The sector of agreement also constitutes a factor of disparity. Doctors practicing in sector 2, authorized to charge excess fees, have an average annual income of 149,100 euros, or 30% more than their counterparts in sector 1 (115,100 euros). However, this gap varies greatly depending on the specialties. Surgeons, anesthetists and ophthalmologists, often present in sector 2, take advantage of fee overruns to significantly increase their income.

Strong disparities are also observed between men and women. Female practitioners receive on average 90,000 euros annually, compared to 148,000 euros for their male counterparts. This gap can be explained by several factors: a lower presence of women in the most profitable specialties such as surgery, a greater proportion of them in less lucrative specialties such as pediatrics, as well as often working hours reduced to reconcile professional and personal life.

An overall slowdown in revenue growth

Between 2017 and 2021, income grew by 0.6% per year in constant euros (i.e. taking into account inflation), well below the 1.9% observed between 2014 and 2017. “The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting drop in activity, on the one hand, and the highest inflation (+1.3% per year, on average, between 2017 and 2021, compared to +0.4% between 2014 and 2017), on the other hand, undoubtedly weighed on the increase in the income of self-employed doctors, in constant euros, between 2017 and 2021”, according to the study.

Another notable factor is the increase in the share of newly established doctors (39% in 2021 compared to 25% in 2017) and that of women in the profession (42% in 2021 compared to 37% in 2017), two groups which present disadvantages. income below average. For example, doctors established for less than 10 years saw their income decrease by 2.8% per year in constant euros over this period, partly due to their difficulty in achieving high volumes of activity.

Here again, developments differ depending on the specialties. Between 2017 and 2021, the lowest-income general practitioners saw their income increase by 13.1% per year on average, while those of the highest-paid sector 2 specialists decreased from 1.8% to 3.7%. per year. This trend could be explained by policies capping fee overruns and better valuation of basic consultations.