The global shortage of health workers could reach 11.1 million by 2030, despite a significant increase in the number of medical professionals worldwide over the past two decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

The projection is contained in the organisation’s first yearly report, National Health Workforce Accounts: Health Workforce Levels and Trends 2026, which assesses global workforce levels, trends and challenges using official country data.

According to the report, the global density of doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists rose by 52 per cent, from 44.8 per 10,000 people in 2006 to 67.9 in 2025. The global health and care workforce now exceeds 70 million.

However, the increase has not translated into equitable access to healthcare, with substantial disparities persisting between regions and countries.

The density of medical doctors in the WHO European Region was 13 times higher than in the African Region, while that of nurses and midwives was six times higher, the report found. The disparities reflect the uneven distribution of health workers and persistent shortages that continue to restrict access to essential health services in many parts of the world.

“Despite gains in workforce production and data reporting, uneven and severe shortages of health and care workers remain, and health worker density remains strongly correlated with national income,” said Dr Khassoum Diallo, Acting Unit Head of Health Workforce Policies and Data at the WHO Academy.

He said addressing these inequalities was essential to achieving universal access to healthcare.

The report identified the ageing of health workers and the wider population as major challenges that could further widen the gap between healthcare demand and available personnel. While the retirement of experienced professionals could worsen staffing shortages, longer life expectancy and population ageing are increasing demand for health services.

Data from 122 countries showed that nearly one in four doctors was aged above 55 and likely to retire within the next decade. In high-income countries, the proportion was nearly one in three. The report also projected that 67 countries would have insufficient health workers to meet their populations’ needs by 2030.

Diallo described workforce ageing as an emerging crisis requiring urgent action, particularly in high-income countries facing the combined pressures of retiring professionals and growing healthcare demand.

“Ageing is the hidden health workforce crisis that requires urgent attention. It is creating a double pressure on health systems, primarily in high-income countries,” he said.
He stressed the need for stronger data systems to guide policies on workforce planning, education, employment and staff retention.

Despite the challenges, the WHO reported significant progress in countries’ collection and reporting of health workforce data. More than 90 per cent of its member states actively reported workforce data in 2025, while the availability of such information had increased nearly 20-fold since the National Health Workforce Accounts initiative was launched in 2017.

The annual report series will track global workforce levels and trends, with each edition examining a specific theme. The 2026 edition focuses on how population ageing and the ageing of health professionals could shape future staffing requirements.

Diallo said sustained investment in health and care workers was critical to strengthening health systems, safeguarding global health security and advancing sustainable development.