'Expand recruitment': Regional nursing report launched in UAE, reveals shortage of 4 million nurses

Dubai: The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the Emirates Health Services (EHS) hosted the regional launch of the ‘State of the World’s Nursing’ (SoWN) Report 2025 in the Eastern Mediterranean region in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The new report offers a comprehensive analysis of the nursing workforce and highlights significant challenges facing the sector, including a projected global shortage of 4.1 million nurses by 2030, with 70 per cent of the shortage concentrated in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.

It points to a striking global disparity in the distribution of nurses, with 78 per cent of nurses serving only 49 per cent of the world’s population, widening the gap between wealthy and low-income countries by a factor of 10 in nursing intensity.
The report assesses countries’ progress in terms of the development of regulatory frameworks for the profession, noting that 92 per cent of countries have such frameworks in place and 62 per cent have developed advanced nursing roles to improve efficiency and expand access to care, particularly in underserved regions.

‘Expand recruitment’
The report outlines five key actions for policymakers: expanding nursing recruitment, developing evidence-based retention policies, promoting high-quality education while addressing teaching cadre shortages, improving working conditions and ensuring fair wages, empowering nursing leaders and integrating them into health decision-making, and addressing emerging priorities for 2026-2030, such as advanced nursing and digital health.

Creates quality jobs, AI

The report concludes by emphasising that investing in nursing does more than strengthen health systems; it stimulates economic growth, creates quality jobs, and boosts women’s participation in the labour force. It also calls for the adoption of digital tools and artificial intelligence to modernise the profession and address evolving health challenges, thereby contributing to The Sustainable Development Goals 2030.