Type to select a Country
This indicator displays the density of a country’s health workforce, comparing the number of doctors, nurses, and midwives to a country’s population size. The attainment of an adequate, effective, and sustainable health workforce is essential to achieving Immunization Agenda 2030, Primary Health Care, and Universal Health Coverage goals. The global density of medical doctors, nurses and midwives is 57 per 10,000 population.
This indicator will show whether disparities between countries and regions remain fixed over the course of the decade, or whether efforts to shore up the health workforce, particularly in light of pandemic-related strain, will reduce disparities. While this indicator does not display trend data, the likely negative effect of the COVID pandemic on the health workforce is of concern and efforts to expand and maintain an effective workforce is critical.
Density of physicians, nurses and midwives per 10,000 population —Global
2020 | |
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Density of Physicians, Nurses/Midwives | 56 |
Density of physicians, nurses and midwives per 10,000 population:
Numerator: Number of physicians, nurses and midwives, defined in headcounts.
Denominator: Total population (per 10,000)
Physicians comprise the following occupations: generalists, specialist medical practitioners and medical doctors. The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) unit group codes included in this category are 221, 2211, 2212.
Nursing and midwifery personnel comprise the following occupations: nursing professionals, nursing associate professionals, midwifey professional, midwifery associate professionals and related occupations. The ISCO unit group codes included in this category are 2221, 2222, 3221, and 3222 of ISCO-08.
Numerator: WHO National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA)
Denominator: UN Population Division's World Population Prospects