Nearly 70 countries could face a shortage of health workers by the end of the decade

Nearly 70 countries could face shortages of healthcare workers by the end of the decade

Nearly one in four doctors worldwide could retire within the next ten years. Against this backdrop, the World Health Organization projects that by 2030, shortages of healthcare workers could affect up to 67 countries.

This is stated in the WHO's first annual report on the state of the global health workforce. The document uses official data from more than 90% of the organization's member states.

According to WHO data, nearly a quarter of the world's doctors are over the age of 55. In high-income countries, this share approaches one-third. The estimate is based on the latest available data from 122 countries.

In parallel, the population is aging in many countries, which increases the need for medical care. As a result, the aging of both patients and healthcare workers themselves places an additional burden on healthcare systems.

Over the past 20 years, the global supply of healthcare workers has increased by 52%. In 2006, there was an average of 44.8 doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, or pharmacists per 10,000 people, compared to 67.9 in 2025. The total number of health and care workers has exceeded 70 million people.

At the same time, a significant gap remains between regions. The density of doctors in the WHO European Region is 13 times higher than in the African Region, and the density of nurses and midwives is six times higher.

The WHO emphasizes that shortages of specialists and their uneven distribution continue to limit access to medical care. The organization calls for the aging of the workforce to be taken into account when training, recruiting, and retaining healthcare workers.

Another factor remains the international migration of specialists. In last year's report, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development noted that doctors and nurses often move to countries with higher salaries and better working conditions, exacerbating workforce shortages in nations where specialists are already in short supply.