Nearly 1 in 4 doctors worldwide approaching retirement age
GENEVA: Nearly one in four doctors worldwide is over the age of 55 and is expected to retire within the next decade, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned Friday, highlighting growing pressure on health systems, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Nearly one in four doctors worldwide is expected to retire within the next decade, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The warning highlights a growing pressure on health systems, with the latest data from 122 countries analyzed. High-income countries face a retirement crisis, with nearly one in three doctors approaching retirement age. The WHO emphasizes that this ageing workforce crisis demands urgent attention.
The organisation projects a global shortage of 11.1 million health workers by 2030, and 67 countries are anticipated to lack sufficient personnel to meet their populations' healthcare needs. Despite these challenges, global health workforce density has increased by 52% over the past two decades, rising from 44.8 workers per 10,000 people in 2006 to 67.9 in 2025. There are over 70 million health and care workers employed globally, but considerable disparities exist between regions.
In Europe, doctor density is 13 times higher than in Africa, while the density of nurses and midwives is six times higher. Diallo, WHO's acting head of health workforce policies and data unit, stresses that addressing these inequities is crucial to achieving Health for All.
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