The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the global health workforce is facing a growing shortage, with nearly one in four doctors approaching retirement age.
The warning was contained in a report titled National Health Workforce Accounts: Health Workforce Levels and Trends 2026, released on Monday.
The report, the first in an annual series, provides a global overview of health workforce levels, trends and challenges based on official country data submitted through the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA).
Over the past two decades, the global density of medical doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists increased by 52 per cent, from 44.8 per 10,000 people in 2006 to 67.9 in 2025. The number of health and care workers worldwide has also surpassed 70 million.
However, WHO said the overall progress masks significant inequalities across countries and regions. The density of medical doctors in the WHO European Region is 13 times higher than in the African Region, while the density of nurses and midwives is six times higher.
The report noted that persistent workforce shortages and unequal distribution continue to restrict access to essential health services, with health worker availability closely linked to national income levels.
“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.
“Addressing these inequities is essential to achieving Health for All,” he added.
The report’s first thematic focus examines how the ageing of both populations and health workers will affect future workforce needs.
It warned that the ageing workforce is worsening shortages in some countries, with the global deficit projected to reach 11.1 million health workers by 2030. At the same time, ageing populations are increasing demand for health services.
Based on the latest available data from 122 countries, nearly one in four doctors is aged over 55 and is expected to retire within the next decade. In high-income countries, the proportion rises to nearly one in three.
The report also found that 67 countries are projected to lack sufficient health workers to meet their populations’ health needs by 2030.
“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,” Diallo said.
He stressed the need for forward-looking policies to improve health workforce planning, education, employment and retention.
WHO said more than 90 per cent of its member states actively reported health workforce data in 2025, while the availability of such data has increased nearly 20-fold since the NHWA was launched in 2017.
“Investing in the health and care workforce is essential to strengthening health systems, safeguarding health security and advancing sustainable development,” Diallo said.
