On May 12, which marks International Nurses Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) published the State of the World’s Nursing (SoWN) 2025 Report. This report aims to uncover trends in the international nursing workforce and identifies emerging priorities in advancing the nursing profession.
Click here to see the report overview and access the full text.
While inequities persist in the global nursing workforce, the WHO’s latest policy recommendations offer a hopeful path forward, with advanced practice nurses playing a central role in building sustainable, equitable care systems worldwide.
Global Trends in The Nursing Workforce
Based on data collected from 194 countries on their nursing workforces, the SoWN report identified some encouraging trends. Notably, it found that the nursing population grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to nearly 30 million worldwide in 2023. At the same time, the nursing shortage worldwide decreased from 6.2 million in 2020 to 5.8 million in 2023. The WHO projects that the shortage will shrink to 4.1 million by 2030. This growth can be attributed to national investments, better education access, and post-pandemic visibility.
However, the report also highlighted some pressing concerns about the state of the nursing profession worldwide. The nurse shortage is still at a critical juncture. Even those who aren’t in the profession notice how difficult it can be to access quality healthcare. The nurse staffing situation in the US is a microcosm of a much larger phenomenon. Nursing shortages were marked by “deep regional disparities,” with nearly 80% of the world’s nurses concentrated in countries representing just under half (49%) of the world’s population.
The report identified that this disparity was most apparent in low- and middle-income countries. Historically, these countries have struggled with training and maintaining nursing staff. Nursing graduates from these areas often migrate to those with better working conditions or prospects, with the report finding that 1 in 7 nurses were foreign-born. Even in high-income countries like the US, health disparities were apparent in rural and low-income areas, signaling a marked inconsistency in care access even within countries.
Another concern is that nursing is still predominately female, with women making up 85% of nursing professionals. This trend is due partly to gender bias, as nursing is traditionally seen as “women’s work” across many cultures. It also comes with baggage: Nurses may not be compensated or supported as well as they should be because of this perception.
Policy Leads the Way
The report highlighted four major policy areas and several emerging priorities for the improvement of nursing worldwide. These aren’t just lofty goals. With proper investment, nurses and patients across the globe could benefit from these directives.
Jobs: For low- and middle-income countries, priorities include expanding nursing education and creating better working conditions to reduce out-migration. High-income nations should focus on increasing enrollment, boosting retention, and reducing reliance on international recruitment. Globally, efforts should center on growing demand for nursing roles, especially in underserved regions.
Education: To meet growing healthcare demands, countries must boost nursing education capacity, address enrollment bottlenecks, and expand competency-based programs. Additionally, nursing faculty need support through mentorship, fair pay, and training in digital and pedagogical skills to ensure education aligns with evolving workforce and population health needs.
Service delivery: Ensuring adequate workplace safety policies are in place to protect nurses is a top priority, along with policies that support nurses and boost hiring and retention. The WHO encourages countries to establish scope of practice standards that are properly differentiated between types and levels of nurses.
Leadership: Establishing senior-level nurse leadership positions would give nurses a meaningful role in advocating for policies that further their well-being. Additionally, leadership development support for nurses would hone their management skills.
Emerging Priorities to Guide the Future of Nursing
The report also identified several emerging policy priorities that could guide the nursing workforce forward in the coming years.
Address gender-related bias: As a female-majority profession, nursing continues to face systemic gender bias, especially in pay, leadership representation, and decision-making power. Closing this gap requires not only pay equity but also cultural and structural changes that recognize the complexity, leadership, and clinical expertise that nursing entails. Efforts must include transparent pay scales, leadership development pipelines for women, and formal recognition of nursing’s contribution to health system performance.
Encourage utilization of digital tools and emerging technologies to advance nursing practice: As digital health continues to evolve, nurses must be equipped to lead in areas such as telehealth, AI-assisted care, remote monitoring, and digital health literacy. Policymakers and educators should focus on integrating technology training into nursing curricula and practice environments, ensuring nurses can both adopt and shape digital solutions that enhance care delivery, especially in underserved or rural areas.
Educate nurses on the health impacts of climate change and empower them to lead the charge on climate-conscious advocacy, community education, and leadership: Climate change increasingly affects public health through rising rates of heat-related illness, vector-borne diseases, and natural disasters. Nurses, trusted members of their communities, are well-positioned to lead in environmental health education, disaster preparedness, and sustainable healthcare practices. Policies must support environmental health competencies in nursing education and create opportunities for nurses to influence climate policy and emergency response planning.
Prioritize the safety and support of nurses operating in active or post-combat settings: Nurses working in conflict zones or post-crisis environments face heightened risks, including physical danger and psychological trauma. Global health strategies should include robust protections for nurses in these contexts, such as access to mental health support, fair compensation, and mechanisms for rapid deployment and recovery. Nurses in humanitarian and post-conflict roles must be supported as both caregivers and critical infrastructure during health system rebuilding.
Investment in advanced practice nursing (APN) roles is a critical strategy in expanding care capacity: We’ve discussed in the past how APN roles can extend access, improve outcomes, and fill leadership gaps. However, many nations still underutilize APNs due to legal or regulatory barriers. The WHO’s recognition of APNs as a key factor in expanding care access is just one example of many that shows that APNs deliver high-quality care and are essential in rural, remote, and underserved settings. The push for increased visibility of APNs worldwide highlights that the urgency of full practice authority extends far beyond the USA.
The Path Forward
The WHO’s latest report makes it clear that while global progress has been made in mitigating the nursing workforce shortage, the fight for true health equity is far from over. Achieving equitable, sustainable healthcare depends on smart policy, strategic investment, and the continued elevation of the nursing profession. From expanding education pipelines to strengthening leadership roles and embracing advanced practice models, the path forward is filled with both urgency and opportunity.
Now is the time to double down on what we know works: investing in nurses, empowering them to practice to the full extent of their training, and ensuring they’re supported wherever they’re needed most. The health of our communities and of our global future depends on it.
