WHO Regional Office for Africa: 42% of nurses working in Africa plan to migrate

Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Deputy Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, stated in a written statement on the occasion of "May 12 International Nurses Day" that the nursing crisis on the continent has deepened due to those working in Africa wanting to go abroad.

Noting that 42 percent of nurses working on the continent plan to migrate abroad, Ihekweazu warned that this trend will further weaken the already fragile health system.

“Nurses are the backbone of our health systems, but almost half of them are considering moving to other countries for better pay and safer working conditions,” Ihekweazu said, stressing that this trend threatens access to health services and equity in health.

Recalling that the theme of the 2025 Nurses Day is “Our Nurses, Our Future: Valuing Nurses Strengthens Health Systems and Economies”, Ihekweazu called for the support of nurses and increased investment in the profession.

According to the 2025 World Nursing Report published by WHO, the number of nurses worldwide has reached 29.8 million. 80 percent of these nurses serve only 49 percent of the world's population.

The number of nurses in Africa has increased from 900,000 in 2018 to 1.7 million in 2023, but the continent still has one of the lowest numbers of nurses per capita in the world.

There are only 14.1 nurses per 100,000 people in Africa. This rate indicates that Africa lags far behind high-income countries in terms of the number of nurses.

Nurses account for 66 percent of the region’s projected shortage of 6.1 million health workers by 2030. This limits access to essential health services, particularly for maternal and child health and chronic diseases.