The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the global health workforce shortage could reach 11.1 million by 2030, as ageing doctors approach retirement and demand for healthcare services rises.
In its National Health Workforce Accounts: Health Workforce Levels and Trends 2026 report, the WHO said nearly one in four doctors worldwide is aged over 55 and could retire within the next decade.
The figure rises to nearly one in three in high-income countries, based on the latest available data from 122 countries.
The report, the first in an annual series, provides a global overview of health workforce levels, trends and challenges using official country data.
It also warned that 67 countries would not have enough health workers to meet their populations’ health needs by 2030.
According to the WHO, the ageing of health workers is compounding shortages, while ageing populations are increasing demand for healthcare services.
“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,” Khassoum Diallo, acting unit head of health workforce policies and data at the WHO Academy, said.
Despite the projected shortages, the report found that the global density of health workers has increased by 52 per cent over the past two decades.
The density of medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel, dentists and pharmacists rose from 44.8 per 10,000 people in 2006 to 67.9 in 2025.
There are now more than 70 million health and care workers worldwide.
However, the WHO said the overall growth masks significant disparities in the distribution of health workers across 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 midwifery personnel is six times higher.
The report said persistent shortages and unequal distribution continue to restrict access to essential health services, with health worker density remaining strongly linked to national income.
“Despite gains in workforce production and data reporting, uneven and severe shortages of health and care workers remain,” Diallo said.
He stressed the need for better workforce planning, education, employment and retention policies to address the gaps.
The WHO also reported progress in health workforce data collection, with more than 90 per cent of its member states actively reporting workforce data in 2025.
Data availability has increased nearly 20-fold since the National Health Workforce Accounts system was launched in 2017.
Diallo said investing in health and care workers was essential to strengthening health systems, protecting health security and advancing sustainable development.
