The Gulf Cooperation Council's nursing workforce has grown to over 413,200 professionals by the end of 2024, driven by a decade of sustained investment in healthcare human resources, according to the latest data from the GCC Statistical Centre.
The figures reflect an average annual growth rate of 4.6% between 2014 and 2024, adding roughly 150,000 nurses across the region over the period. The expansion signals a deliberate push by GCC governments to scale their healthcare systems in line with rising demand and higher standards of patient care.
Nursing staff now account for 30.3% of the total healthcare workforce in the region. The majority, 62.4%, are employed in government facilities, reflecting the continued dominance of the public sector in delivering both therapeutic and preventive services across the GCC.
Efforts to localise the profession are gaining traction. The share of GCC national nurses rose to 30.3% in 2024, up from 29.6% the previous year, pointing to a broader regional agenda of empowering national talent within the healthcare sector.
Women make up 73.6% of the nursing workforce, consistent with global trends where the profession remains predominantly female.
On a per-capita basis, the GCC stands well ahead of the international average. The region recorded 67.5 nurses per 10,000 people in 2024, nearly double the global average of 37.7 as reported by the World Health Organisation, which puts the worldwide nursing workforce at approximately 29.8 million.
The data underscores nursing's central role in regional healthcare delivery, with professionals contributing to direct patient care, disease prevention and health awareness programmes as GCC countries continue pursuing higher benchmarks in medical care quality.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
