A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that nearly one in four doctors globally is older than 55 and could retire within the next decade, raising concerns about whether countries can replace experienced medical professionals quickly enough to maintain essential health services.
The findings expose a looming challenge for governments already struggling to ensure adequate staffing in hospitals and health facilities, particularly in regions where the number of health workers remains far below population needs.
According to WHO’s National Health Workforce Accounts: Health Workforce Levels and Trends 2026, the first in an annual series examining global health workforce trends, 67 countries are projected to lack sufficient health workers to meet their population’s health needs by 2030.
The report draws on the latest available data from 122 countries and identifies the ageing of health professionals as a growing pressure on health systems, alongside increasing demand for healthcare from ageing populations.
In high-income countries, the retirement challenge is particularly pronounced, with nearly one in three doctors already older than 55.
The findings suggest that increasing the number of people trained in medicine and other health professions will not be enough unless governments also strengthen workforce planning, recruitment and retention to ensure that experienced professionals are replaced as they leave service.
“Ageing is the hidden health workforce crisis that requires urgent attention,” said Dr Khassoum Diallo, Acting Unit Head of Health Workforce Policies and Data at the WHO Academy.
He warned that the combination of an ageing health workforce and ageing populations was creating additional pressure on health systems, particularly in high-income countries.
Africa faces a persistent workforce gap
Although the global health workforce has expanded significantly over the past two decades, WHO says the gains have not been distributed equally across regions.
The density of medical doctors in the WHO European Region is 13 times higher than in the African Region, while the density of nurses and midwifery personnel is six times higher.
These disparities highlight the challenge facing countries that must expand access to essential services while competing with better-resourced health systems for trained professionals.
For African countries, the figures raise questions about whether existing health workforce investments can keep pace with growing healthcare needs, especially where facilities already face staffing constraints.
An ageing workforce could further complicate efforts to expand services if retirements are not matched by sufficient recruitment, training and retention of new professionals.
The report also highlights the relationship between national income and health worker availability, with countries’ economic circumstances closely associated with the density of their health workforce.
“Despite gains in workforce production and data reporting, uneven and severe shortages of health and care workers remain,” Diallo said, adding that addressing these inequalities was essential to achieving universal access to healthcare.
### More health workers, but shortages persist
Despite the projected crisis, the global health workforce has grown substantially.
WHO estimates that the density of medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel, dentists and pharmacists increased by 52 per cent between 2006 and 2025, rising from 44.8 to 67.9 professionals per 10,000 people.
The global health and care workforce now exceeds 70 million people.
However, WHO cautions that these gains mask persistent shortages and unequal distribution, meaning that an increase in the total number of professionals does not necessarily translate into adequate staffing where healthcare needs are greatest.
The projected shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030 therefore presents a challenge extending beyond training more professionals. Countries must also ensure that qualified workers are available in the facilities and communities that need them.
For health systems, this means planning for future retirements, strengthening medical and nursing education, creating sustainable employment opportunities and improving retention.
Without these measures, countries risk losing experienced professionals faster than they can replace them, potentially undermining continuity of care and the delivery of essential health services.
### Better data to guide workforce planning
WHO’s report also points to improvements in the information governments have available to address the challenge.
More than 90 per cent of WHO Member States actively reported health workforce data in 2025, while the availability of workforce information has increased nearly 20-fold since the National Health Workforce Accounts initiative was launched in 2017.
The annual report is intended to provide policymakers with a clearer picture of workforce levels, emerging shortages and the pressures likely to shape future healthcare demand.
WHO says the findings reinforce the need for governments to use workforce data to guide decisions on education, recruitment, employment and retention.
Investing in health and care workers, the organisation argues, is essential not only for strengthening health systems but also for protecting health security and advancing sustainable development.
As countries look towards 2030, the central challenge will be ensuring that the growth in the global health workforce translates into a sufficient, skilled and equitably distributed workforce capable of meeting population needs.
For countries already experiencing shortages, the retirement of experienced professionals adds urgency to the task of preparing the next generation of health workers before existing gaps widen further.
