Nursing personnel in China

China: Nursing personnel was 5.64 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.64 million
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
1st
of 189 countries
All-time high
5.64 million
in 2023
All-time low
405,223
in 1978
Years of data
33
1978–2023

Nursing personnel in China, 1978–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M1978200020231978: 405.2k1980: 465.8k1985: 637.0k1990: 974.5k1995: 1.1M1996: 1.2M1997: 1.2M1998: 1.2M1999: 1.2M2000: 1.3M2001: 1.3M2002: 1.2M2003: 1.3M2004: 1.3M2005: 1.3M2006: 1.4M2007: 1.6M2008: 1.7M2009: 1.9M2010: 2.0M2011: 2.2M2012: 2.5M2013: 2.8M2014: 3.0M2015: 3.2M2016: 3.5M2017: 3.8M2018: 4.1M2019: 4.4M2020: 4.7M2021: 5.0M2022: 5.2M2023: 5.6M

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2023, nursing personnel in China stood at 5.64 million. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

The figure is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 102.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nursing personnel in China peaked at 5.64 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 405,223, in 1978.

China ranks 1st of 189 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Nursing personnel in China, year by year

Annual values for Nursing personnel (number) in China, 1978 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1978 405,223 —
1980 465,798 +14.9%
1985 636,974 +36.7%
1990 974,541 +53.0%
1995 1.13 million +15.5%
1996 1.16 million +3.3%
1997 1.20 million +3.1%
1998 1.22 million +1.7%
1999 1.24 million +2.1%
2000 1.27 million +1.8%
2001 1.29 million +1.6%
2002 1.25 million -3.1%
2003 1.27 million +1.6%
2004 1.31 million +3.4%
2005 1.35 million +3.1%
2006 1.43 million +5.7%
2007 1.56 million +9.3%
2008 1.68 million +7.7%
2009 1.85 million +10.5%
2010 2.05 million +10.4%
2011 2.24 million +9.6%
2012 2.50 million +11.3%
2013 2.78 million +11.5%
2014 3.00 million +7.9%
2015 3.24 million +7.9%
2016 3.51 million +8.2%
2017 3.80 million +8.5%
2018 4.10 million +7.7%
2019 4.45 million +8.5%
2020 4.71 million +5.9%
2021 5.02 million +6.6%
2022 5.22 million +4.1%
2023 5.64 million +7.9%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 5.64 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 29,061, 194.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • China's 5.64 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,034, 624.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nursing personnel in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1990 +53.0% 636,974 974,541

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 405,223 405,223 405,223 1
1980s 551,386 465,798 636,974 2
1990s 1.15 million 974,541 1.24 million 6
2000s 1.42 million 1.25 million 1.85 million 10
2010s 3.17 million 2.05 million 4.45 million 10
2020s 5.15 million 4.71 million 5.64 million 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 United States 4.28 million compare
  2. 3 India 3.94 million compare
  3. 4 Japan 1.52 million compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More health data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is nursing personnel in China?
Nursing personnel in China was 5.64 million in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest nursing personnel recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 5.64 million in 2023.
What is the lowest nursing personnel recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 405,223 in 1978.
How does China rank for nursing personnel?
China ranks 1st out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
Is nursing personnel rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 102.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Nursing personnel (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nursing personnel in China. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/nursing-personnel-number/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Nursing personnel (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
191 places, 3,864 data points, 1971–2024
Last refreshed