Finland: Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Finland's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) rose 0.25 on 2020 (from 13.76 to 14.01).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.09 and a typical year strayed about 1.77 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 1.34 in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.48 in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.29 a year. A straight line explains 94% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 14.63 for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.62, against 1.11 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Finland had the 1st highest value of the 12 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 Finland in the 2021 ranking

• Belgium — 2nd of 12: 12.89
• Denmark — 3rd of 12: 12.19
• Sweden — 4th of 12: 11.67

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 29 values

Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Albania — 5.82 (2020)
• Andorra — 4.72 (2023)
• Armenia — 4.75 (2022)
• Austria — 11.28 (2022)
• Azerbaijan — 5.58 (2022)
• Belarus — 10.82 (2023)
• Belgium — 12.89 (2021)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 6.73 (2022)
• Bulgaria — 4.2 (2023)
• Croatia — 8 (2022)
• Cyprus

More health data for Finland

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.99% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.29% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 395,095 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 13.84% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 414,045 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 14.83% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 809,141 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 14.33% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4.48% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Finland's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)?

14.01 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 35.89% from 10.31 in 1990 (0.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 16.48 in 1999 and the lowest 8 in 2000.

How does Finland rank?

1st highest of 12 economies with data for 2021.

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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