Researchers call for policies to address global nursing, midwife shortage

The authors of a study finding a global shortage of more than 23 million nurses and midwives are calling for the expansion of training capacity, retention and total compensation policies for early-career workers. They also say gender-responsive workforce arrangements are necessary to address the shortage. Published in The Lancet Public Health, the authors analyzed the number of nurses and other healthcare workers from 1990 to 2023. The nursing and midwife shortage comprise the largest shortage among all healthcare worker roles, the study found. In comparison, the authors estimate a predicated shortage of 7.1 million physicians, 1.8 million dentists and 1.6 million pharmacists. Nurses made up the largest share of the healthcare workforce at 27.2% in 2023 (33.2 million out of 122.1 million). (Nursing in Practice article, 9/16/26)