Healthcare Workforce Triples in Size: Women Still Face Career Barriers

The global medical workforce reached 122.1 million people in 2023, nearly tripling since 1990. Despite this growth, a shortage of 34.4 million specialists persists, hindering the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) goals. The increase in personnel was driven primarily by women, who often occupy roles with fewer opportunities for career advancement. Workforce Composition and Gender Disparity An international team of researchers analyzed population studies, censuses, administrative databases, and scientific literature across 204 countries to quantify the workforce. The data was standardized using the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08). As of 2023, the workforce consists of: Physicians: 15.1 million; Nurses: 33.2 million; Midwives: 2.4 million; Community Health Workers (CHW): 7.6 million. Women accounted for 71.4% of the workforce growth between 1990 and 2023, making up 68.9% of all healthcare workers by the end of the period. However, representation varies by profession: 96% of midwives, 89.5% of CHWs, and 80.7% of nurses are women, compared to 43.9% among physicians. Researchers noted that this numerical presence has not translated into proportional representation in leadership or senior clinical positions.