This dashboard presents the most recent Essential Human Resources for Health (HRH) Indicators. They are part of the Core HRH Indicators for the Region of the Americas, defined jointly with countries and territories and selected from the set proposed by the National Health Workforce Accounts. The Essential Indicators—health worker density, age distribution, sex distribution, and the graduate-to-stock ratio—along with the other Core Indicators, aim to support workforce monitoring in the Region and facilitate global comparison.
Notes:
- Data was obtained from the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) portal, which contains information from 35 countries from PAHO.
- Health workforce data tends to be more complete for the public sector and may underestimate active workers in other sectors such as: private, military, NGOs, religious health institutions, and others.
- Data is not always published annually for each country; the most recent available data from the NHWA portal (December 2024) was used.
- National population estimates were sourced from the UN Population Division’s World Population Prospects database from 1st July
- Averages were calculated based on available data for each indicator; the number of countries included may vary.
- Health workers are classified using the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) by the International Labour Organization.
- Nursing and midwifery personnel stock data was derived by summing these ISCO-08 categories:
- Nursing personnel: 2221 (professional nurses), 3221 (nursing associates).
- Midwifery personnel: 2222 (professional midwives), 3222 (midwifery associates).
- The data may present different levels of professional activity (e.g., practicing, active, or licensed to practice), varying according to each country’s data sources.