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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, France's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) fell 0.03 on 2020 (from 9.45 to 9.42).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was +0.14 and a typical year strayed about 0.14 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.43 in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.25 in 2013. 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 0.07 a year. A straight line explains 84% 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 2021, France had the 5th 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 France in the 2021 ranking

• Belgium — 2nd of 12: 12.89
• Denmark — 3rd of 12: 12.19
• Sweden — 4th of 12: 11.67
• Brunei Darussalam — 6th of 12: 6.62
• Philippines — 7th of 12: 4.79
• Tonga — 8th of 12: 4.2

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 24 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 France

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.73% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.26% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 5.45 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 15.38% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 5.7 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 17.12% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 11.15 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 16.22% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.07% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 47.15% from 6.4 in 1998 (1.69% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 9.45 in 2020 and the lowest 6.4 in 1998.

How does France rank?

5th highest of 12 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) unusual for France?

In 2021, France's nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) fell 0.03 on 2020 (from 9.45 to 9.42). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2020), the average change was +0.14 and a typical year strayed about 0.14 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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