Number of health workers per 10 000 population by occupation Total population as estimated by the UN Statistics Division. In case of other methodology used, WHO recalculates densities according to the UN Statistics population data to harmonise the densities and ensure comparability.

Number of health workers by occupation

Total population as estimated by the UN Statistics Division. In case of other methodology used, WHO recalculates densities according to the UN Statistics population data in order to harmonise the densities and ensure comparability

By activity level the following categories are recommended: practising health workers, professionally active health workers, and health workers licensed to practise. The PHC workforce includes all occupations engaged in providing health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care services, the public health workforce, and those engaged in addressing the social determinants of health with a specific focus on general medical practitioners, nurses, midwives and community health workers (CHWs). It also includes caregivers and volunteers, the majority of whom are women, who complement the work of salaried workers. By Occupation: (ISCO-08 codes included in parentheses) Medical Doctors (221) • Generalist medical practitioners (2211) • Specialist medical practitioners (2212) Nursing and midwifery professionals (222) • Nursing professionals (2221) • Midwifery professionals (2222) Traditional and complementary medicine professionals (223) Other health professionals (226) • Dentists (2261) • Pharmacists (2262) • Environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals (2263) • Physiotherapists (2264) • Dietitians and nutritionists (2265) • Audiologists and speech therapists (2266) • Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians (2267) • CHWs (3253) By health facility types based on the classification of NHWA (NHWA indicator 1-06): • Hospitals (HP.1) • Residential long-term care facilities (HP.2) • Providers of ambulatory health care (HP.3) (including facilities, community services, individual providers) • Ancillary services (HP.4) (including transportation, emergency rescue, laboratories and others) • Retailers (HP.5) (including pharmacies) • Providers of preventive care (HP.6) Density of family medicine practitioners per 100 000 population (NHWA 8-05) Family medicine practitioners are part of the generalist medical practitioners classified in ISCO-08 with code 2212. They are referred to as general practitioners in some countries, and as a specialisation in others. They should provide person-centred, continuous and comprehensive medical care to individuals and families in their communities. This group does not include resident medical officers, medical interns or other generalist medical practitioners not in general practice activities. Gender (NHWA indicator 1-04) Age (NHWA indicator 1-03) Managing authority (public/private) (NHWA indicator 1-05) Location (district, province, national, etc) (NHWA indicator 1-02) Gini index of subnational (first administrative level) To better understand the stock and distribution of health workforce-supporting integrated health services emphasizing primary care and public health functions, disaggregation by both occupation and health facility type are particularly helpful. The occupations and facility types that should be considered as part of public health and primary care will vary according to national context, established models of care and relative roles and responsibilities of service delivery platforms. Understanding the density of family medicine practitioners relative to other practitioners is one way to demonstrates the relative staffing of primary care in relationship to other service delivery platforms.

National Health Workforce Accounts

iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/352205/9789240044210-eng.pdf

Web Annex. Technical specifications. In: Primary health care measurement framework and indicators: monitoring health systems through a primary health care lens. Geneva: World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2022 iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/352201/9789240044234-eng.pdf?sequence=1

WHO National Health Workforce Accounts (apps.who.int/nhwaportal/, accessed 19 August 2021).