On International Nursing Day, PAHO warns of dramatic decline in nursing graduates – PAHO/WHO
Washington DC May 12, 2025 (PAHO) – Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, warned the countries of the Americas that more must be done to train and retain nurses. The call follows the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) World nursing report 2025which shows that the number of nursing graduates has decreased from 81 nurses per 10,000 population in 2018 to only 24 by 10,000 in 2023.
This dramatic decrease has a significant threat to the sustainability of the profession in the region, where 40% of the countries already have less than those of 30 nurses recommended by the WHO per 10,000 population, with a projected shortage of 200,000 nurses for the region of the Americas.
There are currently 7.4 million nursing professionals in the Americas, representing 63% of the region’s total health force.
«Nurses are a fundamental pillar of health systems and services,» said the director of the PAHO in a message for International Nurses. «The majority of the health workforce continue and are key to interprofessional health teams.»
The report shows a persistent inequality pattern in the availability, distribution, educational capacity and working conditions of nurses in the region. Issues such as inappropriate working conditions, including the lack of specific policies with respect to the work hours of nursing staff, bad job security and the absence of mental health and well -being programs, not only affects the retention and quality of professionals, but also affects the care and results of the patient, the functioning of the health system and access.
To address this, the report recommends that countries guarantee a long -term nursing investment to support the nursing education scale and guarantee the protection of the workforce and improve working conditions.
«Investing in adequate working conditions, through policies and programs that ensure the well -being and mental health of nursing staff, is crucial for retention,» said Dr. Barbosa. «It is also necessary to recognize the value of the profession to be more attractive to young people.»
Ensuring that nurses are included in the development and implementation of health policies is also key to advancing in regulatory frameworks, education and working conditions.
«Together, we can build a sustainable nursing workforce for our region. To all nurses: thanks for your work and commitment to the health of our communities,» concluded the director of the PAHO.
Paho continues to work with countries in the region in the development of policies and plans on the training and retention of the health workforce. The organization also develops the capacity of the Regional Health workforce through the Virtual Campus for Public Health, and works with countries in the development of faculty competencies and strengthening education by standardizing the curricula.
International Nursing Day
The International Nursing Day is celebrated worldwide every May 12, the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, considered the pioneer of modern nursing.
To commemorate the day, Pah will celebrate a web seminar on May 13: Nursing in the Americas: evidence and strategies for a sustainable workforce. This aims to unite countries to participate in discussions about the use of evidence and information on strategic actions to strengthen nursing and guarantee a sustainable workforce for the region of the Americas.
The web seminar is based on the strategic guidelines contained in the PAHO policy on the 2030 Health Workforce: Strengthening of human resources for health to achieve resistant health systems. More information about the event here
