State of the World’s Nursing Report

The Trust, in collaboration with The Nursing Now Challenge, hosted a series of events to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations. These events brought together global nursing leaders and innovators to address the critical issues in the nursing workforce and advocate for the investment in nursing to protect the health and wellbeing of the global population.  

The Burdett Trust for Nursing continues to support the Nursing Now Challenge, which aims to empower nurses and promote their role in achieving universal health coverage and resilient health systems. The Trust’s commitment to nursing education and workforce development is evident in its support for the State of the World’s Nursing report and its advocacy efforts. 

Key Messages 

The 2025 report highlights the urgent need to strengthen global nursing capacity amid growing economic pressures, climate-related risks and persistent health inequities. It warns that stagnation in key health indicators and setbacks in universal health coverage (UHC) threaten global health system resilience. Nurses are positioned as essential drivers of progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the report offering data‑driven guidance for policy and investment action. 

Leadership 

Although 82% of countries have a Government Chief Nursing Officer (GCNO), many of these roles lack the authority, influence and resources needed to shape policy effectively representing a missed opportunity for system strengthening. Leadership development programmes are especially lacking in low‑income countries, where only one quarter have access. Significant investment is needed to build leadership pipelines and enhance nursing representation in health governance. 

Health Workforce Context 

A global shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030 is projected. Traditional strategies focused only on education or recruitment are insufficient. Countries must adopt comprehensive health labour‑market approaches that consider both supply and demand, and encourage coordinated action among health, education, finance and labour sectors. Without this shift, workforce gaps will continue to hinder progress toward UHC and population health goals. 

Nursing Roles and Contributions 

Nursing roles are expanding across prevention, care delivery and population health, creating opportunities to advance SDGs. However, many systems lack the regulatory frameworks, scopes of practice and workplace support needed to fully utilise nursing expertise particularly in advanced practice roles. Countries are urged to modernise regulation and strengthen working environments to maximise nursing contributions to contemporary health challenges. 

Jobs and Employment 

Global nursing numbers are increasing, and shortages are narrowing overall, but progress has slowed, and uneven regional trends persist. Employment patterns reveal serious inequities: 78% of nurses work in countries with only 49% of the global population. This imbalance reflects systemic market failures, requiring stronger international cooperation to manage nurse migration. Without action, current migration patterns especially affecting Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean will further weaken already fragile health systems. 

Education 

To meet current and future needs, graduation rates must rise significantly, as population growth and an ageing nursing workforce drive demand. Countries need holistic education‑system strengthening, including faculty development, use of technology and innovative clinical training models. Persistent challenges such as faculty shortages, inadequate clinical placement capacity and weak infrastructure cannot be solved through isolated interventions. The global trend toward bachelor‑level qualifications must align with differentiated roles and workforce needs. 

Service Delivery 

Working conditions and regulatory variability continue to undermine quality of care and retention. Only 42% of countries report having mental‑health support systems for nurses and wage disparities remain wide. There is a pressing need to establish global standards for decent work in nursing. Advanced practice nursing shows strong potential to expand access to care, but requires consistent educational preparation, regulation and clear scopes of practice. 

Policy Directions Through 2030 

The report calls for extending and adapting the 12 global strategic policy priorities across four domains: 

• Employment 
• Education 
• Service Delivery 
• Leadership 

Key policy imperatives include: 

• Mobilising targeted investments and strengthening multisector collaboration involving finance, labour, education, regulators, employers and civil society.  
• Expanding training capacity, improving working conditions and ensuring equitable distribution of nurses. 
• Elevating five emerging priorities: advanced practice nursing, gender equity, digital health, climate–health action and support for nurses in fragile or vulnerable settings. 

Conclusion 

Despite global growth in the nursing workforce, many countries face declining nurse‑to‑population ratios due to ageing, attrition, migration and rising population demands. This threatens progress toward UHC. Strengthening health‑labour‑market planning, boosting education capacity, improving job quality and enhancing governance (including empowering GCNOs and standardising advanced practice nursing roles) are essential. Implementing SoWN 2025’s policy priorities will help close service gaps, accelerate SDG progress and contribute to economic growth through the creation of decent work and increased participation of women in the workforce. 

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