Start with the global scale
A WHO study published in BMJ Global Health in 2022 counts 65.1 million health professionals in 2020: 29.1 million nurses, 12.7 million physicians, 3.7 million pharmacists, 2.5 million dentists, 2.2 million midwives and 14.9 million workers in other professions.
The authors project 84 million professionals in 2030, an average increase of 29% compared with 2020, outpacing population growth (9.5%). The estimated shortage would fall from 15 million in 2020 to 10 million in 2030, a decrease of 33%.
These figures show two things at once. The workforce is growing. Yet the gap relative to needs remains considerable. They describe a theoretical shortage, calculated using coverage thresholds, rather than a number of jobs advertised by hospitals.
Read nursing figures alongside their dates
WHO's State of the World's Nursing 2025 report, published on May 12, 2025, using data from 194 countries, estimates that the global nursing workforce grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023. It projects 36 million in 2030. The shortage would fall from 5.8 million in 2023 to 4.1 million in 2030.
The 2022 study presents a different estimate: a shortage of 4.5 million nurses and 0.31 million midwives in 2030, or approximately 4.8 million in total. These figures appear in its Table 3. The two sets of figures differ in both date and methodology.
The rule for interpreting them is simple: cite a figure with its year and source, and do not mix editions. The 2025 report also notes that regional disparities are expected to widen by 2030, with little or no increase in nursing density in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Identify shortages of midwives and other professionals
Nurses make up the largest health profession, but they are not the only ones affected. According to a 2023 statement, WHO estimates a global shortage of approximately 900,000 midwives, or one-third of the required workforce. WHO's fact sheet updated in August 2026 records 2.2 million practising midwives.
Physicians, pharmacists, dentists and rehabilitation professions do not have such a detailed set of projections in the sources consulted. When no recent global figure is available for a profession, it is better to consult national statistics for the intended country, which often publish projections by profession.
WHO also points out that nursing and midwifery are among the most female-dominated workforces in the economy: globally, women make up 67% of the health and social care workforce, compared with 41% across all employment sectors. This figure provides context for debates about pay and working conditions, which influence staff retention as well as programme enrolment.
Assess the unequal distribution
The shortage is not uniform. The 2022 study identifies a workforce density 6.5 times higher in high-income countries than in low-income countries. WHO's 2020 report noted that one in eight nurses worked in a country other than the one where they were born or trained.
This mobility creates an ethical issue highlighted by WHO: several poor countries lose workers they have trained. The 2020 report urged countries to train enough nurses rather than meet their needs through international recruitment, and cited Germany as an example of a country that had strengthened domestic recruitment while supporting training in countries of origin.
For a student, this means that a global “shortage” does not translate into a right to practise. Countries with the greatest shortages are often those where foreign credentials are least readily recognized, or where funding for positions is unavailable.
Distinguish a degree from the right to practise
In health professions, a degree alone is not enough: a licence issued by a regulatory body is required. Recognition follows rules specific to each country, and sometimes to each province or state.
| Profession | Country | Published recognition step |
|---|---|---|
| Physician | United States | ECFMG certification: check the current requirements and the school's ECFMG Sponsor Note; Intealth's accreditation policy does not change eligibility |
| Physician | Canada | MCCQE and NAC examinations required for the CaRMS match (2026 schedule) |
| Physician | Quebec | Recognition of M.D. equivalence by the Collège des médecins du Québec before CaRMS |
| Nurse | Canada (outside Quebec) | Credential assessment according to the provincial regulator's requirements; use of NNAS where the chosen pathway calls for it |
These rules change. The table reflects the official pages consulted in October 2026; they must be reviewed before taking any steps.
Check accreditation when the final destination is the United States
Intealth's Recognized Accreditation Policy has been in effect since November 2024. It provides information about school accreditation but does not change eligibility for ECFMG certification.
WFME and NCFMEA are the two recognition bodies accepted under this policy. Students must separately check the current certification requirements and their school's ECFMG Sponsor Note in the World Directory of Medical Schools.
Choose a country for training based on where you intend to practise
A simple rule emerges from the preceding information: the intended place of practice largely determines which studies to prioritize. Training in the country where you wish to practise avoids equivalency procedures. Training elsewhere can work, but only if the programme is recognized by the regulatory body in the intended country.
Three checks recur in most cases:
- Is the institution or its accreditation agency on the list recognized by the country where you intend to practise?
- Does the programme include the required clinical placements?
- Are language and licensing examinations accessible to foreign graduates?
Professional regulatory bodies and health ministries publish these requirements. Timelines also matter: foreign credential assessments, licensing examinations and any required upgrading courses take place in sequence, and their duration varies by province or state. No reliable average timeframe was found in the official sources consulted; each organization publishes its own timelines.
What about Canada?
In Canada, the practice of health professions falls under provincial jurisdiction, and each regulatory body sets its own requirements. For internationally educated nurses, the credential assessment pathway depends on the provincial regulator: NNAS is involved in some processes but is not mandatory everywhere outside Quebec. In Ontario, other assessment services are accepted. In Quebec, the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec processes applications according to its own rules. For internationally trained physicians, the Medical Council of Canada states that the MCCQE and NAC examinations are required for the CaRMS match.
StudyCanada features, among others, the nursing programmes at Université de Montréal, The University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa, as well as the pharmacy programme at Université de Montréal. These programmes are listed at the discipline level, without details for individual pathways. International student admission is subject to quotas in several of these programmes, and the precise requirements should be read on each programme's page before planning a course of study.