Women Lead Global Health Workforce Growth Amid Shortage

A study published in The Lancet Public Health revealed that women accounted for nearly 70% of the global health workforce in 2023, contributing to 71.4% of the workforce growth from 40.9 million in 1990 to 122.1 million in 2023. Despite this increase, a global shortfall of 34.4 million health workers remains, including 23.9 million nurses and midwives, 7.1 million doctors, 1.8 million dentists, and 1.6 million pharmacists.

The shortages are particularly acute in South Asia, which needs an additional 2.6 million doctors and 10 million nurses and midwives, and sub-Saharan Africa, requiring 2.5 million doctors and 5.7 million nurses and midwives. The study also highlighted significant disparities in health worker availability and gender distribution across countries.

Women dominate nursing and midwifery roles but are underrepresented in leadership positions, facing challenges such as inadequate remuneration and workplace violence. The analysis utilized data from various sources over the period from 1990 to 2023.