Strong primary health care-oriented systems depend on an integrated health and care workforce capable of delivering continuous, people-centred services across diverse settings. As countries face workforce shortages and growing demand for care associated with ageing, disability and chronic health conditions, care workers need to be better integrated into health workforce planning and policy. Development, management and support of care workers: towards an integrated health and care workforce: policy options provides evidence-informed policy options to help countries plan, develop, manage and support paid and unpaid care workers providing personal care in homes, health services and residential settings.

The National health workforce accounts: health workforce levels and trends 2026 report provides an overview of the status of NHWA implementation and an analysis of global and regional health workforce levels and trends based on official data reported by countries to the World Health Organization. Developed to support evidence-informed health workforce policy-making and planning, the report examines progress in strengthening national health workforce information systems, data availability and reporting across countries, and the use of standardized indicators to monitor human resources for health in support of universal health coverage, the Sustainable Development Goals and other health objectives.

Who are health and care workers? 

• Health worker - Health workers are all people primarily engaged in actions with the primary intent of enhancing health. For health workers, the relevant ISCO codes are generally found within the "Health Professionals" (Sub-Major Group 22) and "Health Associate Professionals" (Minor Group 325) categories, with more specific unit groups depending on the type of health work. 
• Heath care assistant (ISCO-08 code: 5321) - Institution-based personal care workers who provide direct personal care and assistance with activities of daily living to patients and residents in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, clinics and residential nursing care facilities. They generally work in implementation of established care plans and practices, and under the direct supervision of medical, nursing or other health professionals or associate professionals.
• Home-based personal care workers (ISCO-08 code: 5322) who provide routine personal care and assistance with activities of daily living to persons who are in need of such care due to effects of ageing, illness, injury, or other physical or mental conditions, in private homes and other independent residential settings. 

Key figures

The estimated stock of health workers now exceeds 70 million. Shortage estimates decreased steadily since the Global Strategy adoption in 2026, trends that may be linked to investment decisions, the adoption of evidence-based policies and improved data availability.

The pace of progress has slowed, however, and masks diverging trends across and within regions, prompting an upward adjustment to the projected workforce shortage by 2030 to 11 million (compared to the 2022 estimate of a projected 10 million shortage by 2030).

Women comprise 67% of the global health workforce.