Ireland - Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)

The value for Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people) in Ireland was 13.01 as of 2018. As the graph below shows, over the past 18 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 15.37 in 2002 and a minimum value of 11.71 in 2016.

Definition: Nurses and midwives include professional nurses, professional midwives, auxiliary nurses, auxiliary midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives and other associated personnel, such as dental nurses and primary care nurses.

Source: World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.

See also:

Year Value
2000 14.03
2001 14.85
2002 15.37
2003 14.82
2004 12.37
2005 12.27
2006 12.67
2007 13.87
2008 13.78
2009 13.04
2010 13.47
2011 13.37
2012 12.96
2013 12.58
2014 12.26
2015 12.48
2016 11.71
2017 14.54
2018 13.01

Development Relevance: The WHO estimates that at least 2.5 medical staff (physicians, nurses and midwives) per 1,000 people are needed to provide adequate coverage with primary care interventions (WHO, World Health Report 2006).

Limitations and Exceptions: The WHO compiles data from household and labor force surveys, censuses, and administrative records. Data comparability is limited by differences in definitions and training of medical personnel varies. In addition, human resources tend to be concentrated in urban areas, so that average densities do not provide a full picture of health personnel available to the entire population.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Health systems - the combined arrangements of institutions and actions whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, or maintain health (World Health Organization, World Health Report 2000) - are increasingly being recognized as key to combating disease and improving the health status of populations. The World Bank's Healthy Development: Strategy for Health, Nutrition, and Population Results emphasizes the need to strengthen health systems, which are weak in many countries, in order to increase the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing specific diseases and further reduce morbidity and mortality. To evaluate health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that key components - such as financing, service delivery, workforce, governance, and information - be monitored using several key indicators. The data are a subset of the key indicators. Monitoring health systems allows the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of different health system models to be compared. Health system data also help identify weaknesses and strengths and areas that need investment, such as additional health facilities, better health information systems, or better trained human resources. Data on health worker (physicians, nurses and midwives, and community health workers) density show the availability of medical personnel.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Health systems