The World Health Organization warns that ageing populations and ageing health workforces could deepen a projected global shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030. The report finds 67 countries may lack sufficient staff and estimates an extra 832,000 health workers are needed to maintain current staff-to-population levels. Higher-income countries—particularly in Europe—face steep near-term losses as many doctors approach retirement. WHO calls for urgent action on training, retention and sustainable international recruitment.
WHO Warns Of Widening Global Health Worker Shortage As Staff And Patients Age
The logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
GENEVA — The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning that the global medical workforce is likely to face a widening shortfall in the 2030s as both populations and health workers age simultaneously. The WHO's report, based on data from more than 100 countries, highlights growing pressure on health systems worldwide and urges urgent planning to avoid declines in care quality.
"In many countries both our populations and health workers are ageing at the same time. This can intensify the projected global shortage of 11.1 million health workers by 2030," the WHO said in a statement accompanying the report.
The report projects that by 2030 some 67 countries will not have sufficient staffing to maintain the standards of medical treatment they currently provide. To preserve the present ratio of medical staff to population, an additional 832,000 health workers would be required. Meeting that gap could increase poorer countries' dependence on foreign health workers, a shift that may affect healthcare standards and equity in those nations.
Higher-income countries — including many in Europe — are expected to be among the hardest hit because they have a larger share of older healthcare workers. In these countries, as many as one in three doctors could retire within the next ten years, the report says. That near-term wave of retirements, combined with ageing patient populations, heightens demand for services just as supply tightens.
Implications and Policy Responses
The WHO stresses the need for comprehensive workforce planning: increased investment in training, stronger retention policies, better working conditions, flexible career paths, and coherent international recruitment strategies that protect health systems in lower-income countries. The report also highlights the potential role of task-shifting, digital health tools and targeted incentives to mitigate shortages.
The findings underscore an urgent call to governments, educators and health system planners to act now to ensure countries can meet future health needs without undermining care standards or over-relying on international recruitment.
Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Linda Pasquini. Source: World Health Organization report based on data from 100+ countries.
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