By Ayomide Otitoju
The global nursing workforce grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, yet stark disparities remain across regions and countries, the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report reveals. Published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), and partners, the report warns that uneven distribution of nurses continues to leave large populations without access to essential health services—threatening progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and global health goals.
Released on International Nurses Day, the report shows progress in addressing the global nursing shortage, which declined from 6.2 million in 2020 to 5.8 million in 2023 and is projected to fall further to 4.1 million by 2030. However, 78% of the world’s nurses are concentrated in countries accounting for only 49% of the global population.
The report calls on low- and middle-income countries to boost domestic investments in nurse education and employment, while urging high-income nations to manage retirement levels and reduce overreliance on foreign-trained nurses.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the report as a critical guide for policymakers. “We cannot ignore the inequalities that mark the global nursing landscape,” he said, urging governments to act swiftly to strengthen their health systems.
