More Health Workers, Unequal Care: WHO Warns of Ageing and Global Staffing Gaps

The report, National health workforce accounts: health workforce levels and trends 2026, is the first in an annual series drawing on official country data shared through the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA).

A new World Health Organization (WHO) report reveals that major gains in staffing have not resolved deep inequalities between countries, and approaching retirements are adding pressure to health systems already facing shortages and rising demand for care.

The report, National health workforce accounts: health workforce levels and trends 2026, is the first in an annual series drawing on official country data shared through the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA). WHO describes it as the most comprehensive global picture of workforce levels, trends and challenges, with this first edition examining how ageing populations and ageing health workers could shape future staffing needs.

A Bigger Workforce Still Leaves Unequal Access

Over the past two decades, the global density of medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel, dentists and pharmacists increased by 52%, rising from 44.8 workers per 10,000 people in 2006 to 67.9 in 2025. These figures show substantial growth in the number of professionals available relative to the population, without guaranteeing that people everywhere have similar access to essential health services.

The regional differences are striking: the WHO European Region has 13 times as many medical doctors per person as the WHO African Region, and six times the density of nursing and midwifery personnel. Workforce shortages and unequal distribution continue to restrict access to care, making a country's overall staffing needs and the location of its workers central concerns for health planning.

Dr Khassoum Diallo, Acting Unit Head of Health Workforce Policies and Data at the WHO Academy, said severe shortages persist despite improvements in workforce production and data reporting. He stressed that health worker density remains strongly linked to national income, placing the effort to close these inequalities at the heart of achieving health care for everyone.

Retirements Put Future Care Under Pressure

Population ageing is increasing demand for health services, and the ageing of the workforce is intensifying shortages in some countries. WHO projects a global shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030, with 67 countries expected to lack enough workers to meet their populations' health needs by that year. This creates a difficult planning challenge for services that must prepare for greater demand and replace experienced professionals leaving employment.

The latest available information from 122 countries shows that nearly one in four doctors, on average, is older than 55 and expected to retire within the next decade; in high-income countries, the proportion rises to nearly one in three. Diallo described ageing as a hidden workforce crisis that creates pressure from both rising care needs and staff retirements, particularly in high-income countries, reinforcing the need for stronger planning, education, employment and retention.

Better Data Can Guide Workforce Investment

More than 90% of WHO Member States actively reported health workforce data in 2025, and the availability of such data has increased nearly twentyfold since the NHWA began in 2017. These improvements give governments a stronger evidence base to understand staffing gaps and prepare for future needs, making workforce information systems essential to decisions on training, recruitment, and staff retention.

Each annual report will track workforce levels and trends and examine a specific theme, creating a regular opportunity to assess changing pressures on health services. Diallo emphasised that investing in health and care workers is essential to stronger health systems, health security, and sustainable development, and that reliable data help countries turn evidence about shortages into practical workforce policies.