1. Home
  2. Campaigns
  3. International Nurses Day 2025

International Nurses Day 2025

Nursing in the Americas: 
evidence and strategies for a sustainable workforce
12 May 2025

In the context of International Nurses Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) proposes that its Member States engage in discussions on the use of evidence and information in strategic actions to strengthen nursing and ensure a sustainable workforce for the Region of the Americas.

The Region has approximately 7.4 million nursing personnel. However, challenges persist in terms of inequity in the distribution and availability of these workers, differences in their education, a lack of opportunities for professional development and leadership positions, inadequate working conditions, low adoption of advanced practice roles, and high migration rates.

These factors limit the capacity of the nursing workforce to respond to current and future health system challenges, while contributing to low retention in the labor market and making the profession less attractive to new generations.

Data from the Region of the Americas
  • The Region of the Americas has 7.4 million nursing professionals, representing 63% of the health workforce.
  • The distribution of nursing personnel among the countries of the Region is uneven:  The density of nurses varies from 7 to 135 per 10 000 population, and 40% of countries have fewer than 30 nurses per 10 000 population.
  • Eighty-seven percent of nurses are women, who continue to face gender inequality and lack of professional recognition.
  • Although 86% of countries have government chief nursing officers, the participation of nurses in the development and implementation of health policies remains limited.
  • The number of nursing graduates has declined dramatically, from 81 to 24 per 10 000 population between 2018 and 2023, indicating that the profession has become less attractive.
  • The working conditions of nurses are inadequate. In the Region of the Americas:
    • 50% of countries have regulated working hours
    • 31% have wellness and mental health programs for health personnel
    • 36% have retention mechanisms in place for nurses in rural areas
    • 68% have implemented mechanisms to promote worker safety
Key messages
  • Governments should address key issues impacting the recruitment and retention of nursing, to ensure that the profession remains attractive, and that health service delivery is not impacted due to nursing shortages.
  • Nursing must be valued as a profession in order to make it more attractive to young people and future professionals. This will help address the shortage of personnel and ensure a sustainable nursing workforce.
  • Ensuring adequate working conditions for nurses is key to retaining nurses. It is essential to invest in policies and programs that ensure nurses’ well-being and mental health.
  • The participation of nurses in the development and implementation of health policies fosters the acceptability, feasibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of health interventions. It is necessary to strengthen the competencies, capacities, and autonomy of nurses in leadership roles in order to increase their impact on the development and implementation of health policies.
  • The role of nurses must be valued by other health care professionals. This will facilitate the implementation of interprofessional health teams.

Message from the PAHO Director on International Nurse's Day 2025

Campaign Materials

Nursing personnel

 

Link to campaign assets

Event

Webinar: Nursing in the Americas: evidence and strategies for a sustainable workforce

Date: 13 May 2025
Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Registration link
Interpretation in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish