WHO Report Showcases India's Strategic Efforts To Scale Up Its Nursing Capacity

By Gautam Debroy

The State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) has recognised the critical need for a robust and well-trained nursing workforce to meet India’s growing healthcare demands.

“A rapidly changing global context brings challenges for health systems and affects health and well-being. Geopolitical instability, conflicts, climate change and environmental disruptions are impacting an increasing number of countries. Economic uncertainty persists alongside rising debt burdens, inflation and shrinking fiscal space, all of which impact social sector spending,” stated the report released on International Nurses Day 2025.

Talking to ETV Bharat, health expert Dr Tamorish Kole, Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee at the International Federation for Emergency Medicine, said that the report showcases India’s strategic efforts to scale up its nursing capacity, improve workforce regulation, and contribute meaningfully to the global nursing landscape.

“These actions position India as a key player in meeting global health targets and in shaping the future of nursing worldwide,” he said.

Global Nursing Workforce Policy

Implementation of the Global strategic directions for nursing and midwifery 2021–2025 has been high across all 12 policy priorities. Examples reported to WHO in the monitoring exercises and reported to the 156th Executive Board include India committed to opening 157 new nursing colleges by mid-2025 to increase nursing seats by 15,700 per year. The global stock of nurses reported was 20.7 million in 2013 (including midwifery personnel); 27.9 in the 2018 data release (in State of the World’s Nursing Report 2020); and 29.8 million in 2023. It is projected to further increase to 36 million by 2030, which corresponds to an average 2.7% annual growth rate.

The increase in stock by 2030 is particularly high in the South- East Asia and Western Pacific regions primarily because of the size of the populations in India and China. This is essentially the same projection of nursing stock in 2030 as was estimated in State of the World’s Nursing Report 2020 (35.9 million).

Unique Nurse Identifier System

In India, the nurses registration and tracking system was developed by the Indian Nursing Council for similar purposes. According to the report, this system is linked with a nurse’s Aadhaar information (similar to a social insurance number), thereby ensuring non-duplication of nurses. The system maintains a live register of qualified Indian nurses working domestically and abroad.

“The State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) highlights the progress made globally in strengthening the nursing workforce, with India prominently featured for its significant policy actions and contributions,” said Dr Kole. India’s efforts align closely with the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021–2025, where implementation across all 12 policy priorities has been reported as high.

“One of the key examples from India is its commitment to open 157 new nursing colleges by mid-2025. This initiative is expected to increase the country’s nursing education capacity by 15,700 seats annually. Such a large-scale expansion reflects the country’s recognition of the critical need for a robust and well-trained nursing workforce to meet its growing healthcare demands,” said Dr Kole.

Jobs and employment

The global stock of nurses is 29.8 million in 2023 and reflects growth from the previous report (27.9 million in 2018); however, the global distribution and density of nurses in 2023 is highly inequitable and it masks a shortage of 5.8 million nurses. Around 78% of the world’s nurses are found in countries representing only 49% of the world’s population; high-income countries (HICs), which represent only 17% of the population, host 46% of the world’s nursing population.

The global density of nurses (37.1 nurses per 10,000 persons) is similarly skewed across WHO regions and income classification. Nurse density in the WHO European Region is five times higher than that in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions; there is a tenfold difference between the density of nurses in HICs versus low-income countries (LICs). These statistics indicate that much of the world’s population has substantially less access to nurses for services such as maternal and child care, chronic disease management, and response to public health threats and emergencies, the report stated.

According to Dr Kole, the report also emphasizes the growing global stock of nurses and India’s pivotal role in driving this trend. “India’s ongoing investments in nursing education and workforce development are therefore essential not only to its own health system but also to the overall global progress in healthcare human resources,” he said.