Australia's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) was 13.45 in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 32.25% from 10.17 in 2012 (2.83% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 13.45 | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 12.53 | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 10.17 | 2012 |
| Highest | 13.57 | 2021 |
| Lowest | 9.71 | 2005 |
| Average since 2013 | 12.72 | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 11.59 | 1990 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Australia's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) fell 0.12 on 2021 (from 13.57 to 13.45).
Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2021), the average change was +0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.54 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.78 in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.01 in 1997. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.19 a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2022, Australia had the 2nd highest value of the 59 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Australia in the 2022 ranking
- Switzerland — 1st of 59: 18.76
- United States — 3rd of 59: 13.38
- Japan — 4th of 59: 12.98
- Germany — 5th of 59: 12.25
What this measures
Nurses and midwives include professional nurses, professional midwives, auxiliary nurses, auxiliary midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives and other associated personnel, such as dental nurses and primary care nurses.
Limitations: The WHO compiles data from household and labor force surveys, censuses, and administrative records. Data comparability is limited by differences in definitions and training of medical personnel varies. In addition, human resources tend to be concentrated in urban areas, so that average densities do not provide a full picture of health personnel available to the entire population.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 32 values
| Year | Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 13.45 |
| 2021 | 13.57 |
| 2020 | 13.16 |
| 2019 | 13.1 |
| 2018 | 12.76 |
| 2017 | 12.53 |
| 2016 | 12.37 |
| 2015 | 12.19 |
| 2014 | 12.11 |
| 2013 | 11.95 |
| 2012 |
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies
- Brunei Darussalam — 6.62 (2021)
- Cambodia — 1.01 (2019)
- China — 3.67 (2022)
- Indonesia — 3.24 (2023)
- Japan — 12.98 (2022)
- Korea, Rep. — 9.09 (2022)
- Lao PDR — 1.03 (2023)
- Malaysia — 4.05 (2023)
- Mongolia — 4.22 (2018)
- Myanmar — 0.21 (2022)
- New Zealand
More health data for Australia
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 5.55% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.94% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 2.37 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 17.07% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 2.51 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 18.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 4.88 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 17.68% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.63% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Australia's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)?
- 13.45 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is up 16.05% from 11.59 in 1990 (0.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 13.57 in 2021 and the lowest 9.71 in 2005.
- How does Australia rank?
- 2nd highest of 59 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) unusual for Australia?
- In 2022, Australia's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) fell 0.12 on 2021 (from 13.57 to 13.45). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2021), the average change was +0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.54 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.MED.NUMW.P3, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Country data Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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