Health statistics - Regions (for 'Developer API') — Practising nurses by country
This dataset provides the whole set of OECD regional health indicators in large (TL2) and small (TL3) regions. It is recommended for users who wish to query a large amount of data. It is not designed for visualising results using the Table and Chart buttons. To access the ‘Developer API query builder’, click on the...
What the numbers show
Health statistics - Regions (for 'Developer API') — Practising nurses is currently reported for 26 countries. The highest value is 19.02 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Switzerland; the lowest is 0.42 Per 1 000 inhabitants in Costa Rica.
The median across all reporting countries is 7.89 Per 1 000 inhabitants, and the mean is 8.54 Per 1 000 inhabitants.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 45.
Over the past decade 21 countries rose and 4 fell. The largest increase was in Türkiye (up 59.0%), and the largest decrease in Netherlands (down 14.7%).
Health statistics - Regions (for 'Developer API') — Practising nurses: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 19.02 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 17.7% | rising |
| 1 | Türkiye | 2.91 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2023 | up 59.0% | rising |
| 2 | Norway | 15.24 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | down 10.5% | rising |
| 3 | Ireland | 14.17 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2025 | — | rising |
| 4 | Denmark | 12.86 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2021 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 5 | Australia | 12.77 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2021 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 6 | Japan | 12.56 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 7 | Belgium | 11.42 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2023 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 8 | Sweden | 11 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2023 | up 0.3% | rising |
| 9 | France | 10.97 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2021 | up 30.1% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | 10.84 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2020 | down 14.7% | falling |
| 11 | Canada | 9.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2021 | up 5.6% | flat |
| 12 | Romania | 8.38 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 36.0% | rising |
| 13 | Portugal | 7.99 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 25.4% | rising |
| 14 | Croatia | 7.79 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 16.3% | rising |
| 15 | Lithuania | 7.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 16 | Italy | 6.83 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2023 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 16 | Estonia | 6.83 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 18 | Poland | 6.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 19 | Spain | 5.73 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 20 | Hungary | 5.63 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | down 13.3% | falling |
| 21 | Israel | 5.55 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2023 | up 18.6% | flat |
| 22 | Latvia | 4.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 23 | Greece | 3.85 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2024 | up 19.2% | rising |
| 24 | Colombia | 1.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2025 | up 27.0% | rising |
| 25 | Costa Rica | 0.42 Per 1 000 inhabitants | 2021 | up 27.3% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Korea 10.28 Per 1 000 inhabitants
About this data
This dataset provides the whole set of OECD regional health indicators in large (TL2) and small (TL3) regions. It is recommended for users who wish to query a large amount of data. It is not designed for visualising results using the Table and Chart buttons. To access the ‘Developer API query builder’, click on the ‘Developer API’ button above. The application programming interface (API), based on the SDMX standard, allows a developer to access the data using simple RESTful URL and HTTP header options for various choices of response formats including JSON. The query filter is generated according to the current data selection. To change the data selection, use the filters on the left. To get started check the API documentation Indicators covered Healthcare resources: physicians, practising nurses, hospital beds and hospital discharges. Health status: life expectancy, infant mortality rate, crude mortality rate, age-adjusted mortality rate. Health risks: obesity, mortality due circulatory and respiratory diseases, air pollution. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial Grid (pdf) and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xlsx). Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.