By Annette Ikponmwonba | August 19, 2026
Key Points
- Women account for nearly 70 per cent of the global health workforce.
- Despite their dominance in the sector, women remain concentrated in lower paid health professions.
- The global health workforce nearly tripled between 1990 and 2023.
- An estimated 34.4 million additional doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists are needed to achieve moderate universal health coverage.
- South Asia and sub Saharan Africa face some of the largest health workforce shortages.
- The study calls for greater investment in education, recruitment, retention and gender responsive workplace policies.
- Leadership development, paid parental leave and flexible working arrangements were identified as measures that could help reduce gender inequalities.
Main Story
Women now make up nearly 70 per cent of health workers worldwide but continue to face significant inequalities in pay, professional advancement and access to leadership positions, according to a new Global Burden of Disease study, The study, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and published in The Lancet, examined health workforce data across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.
It provided the first global, sex disaggregated estimates covering 20 health worker categories, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists and community health workers, Although the global health workforce nearly tripled during the period studied, researchers found that major shortages remained across many parts of the world, The study estimated that 34.4 million additional health professionals would be required to achieve moderate universal health coverage, with South Asia and sub Saharan Africa among the regions facing the greatest shortages.
The Issues
The central issue is that women’s large presence in healthcare has not translated into equal economic or professional opportunities, Women remain heavily concentrated in lower-paid occupations and have fewer opportunities to move into leadership positions despite their critical role in healthcare delivery.
The workforce shortage is another major challenge. In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, inadequate numbers and uneven distribution of trained professionals continue to limit access to healthcare and threaten progress towards universal health coverage, The study also highlights the need to address working conditions, retention and the distribution of health workers, rather than focusing only on increasing overall numbers.
What’s Being Said
The researchers said closing global health workforce gaps would require sustained investment in education, recruitment and retention, alongside policies that address gender inequalities, The study recommended gender-responsive measures such as leadership development, workplace protections, paid parental leave and flexible working arrangements, It also stressed that governments need to plan not only for the number of health workers required but also for the composition and distribution of the workforce.
What’s Next
Governments are expected to use workforce data to identify shortages and improve the planning, recruitment and distribution of health professionals, For sub-Saharan Africa, greater investment in training, recruitment and retention could help increase the number of qualified professionals while improving access to healthcare in underserved communities, Policymakers will also need to strengthen workplace support and create clearer pathways for women to advance into leadership positions.
Bottom Line
Women dominate the global health workforce, but their representation has not translated into equal pay or leadership opportunities. At the same time, the world faces a projected shortage of 34.4 million health professionals. The study argues that expanding healthcare access will require governments to invest in more workers while also ensuring they are fairly treated, properly supported and effectively distributed.
