Globally, nearly 1 in 4 physicians will retire in the next decade, according to the World Health Organization, a trend that could shrink the U.S.’s pipeline of foreign-trained clinicians.
WHO’s National Health Workforce Accounts: Health Workforce Levels and Trends 2026 report analyzed the health workforce density across 178 countries. The report found that in the past two decades, the health workforce density for physicians, nurses and midwifery personnel, dentists and pharmacists has increased by 52% globally, from 44.8 to 67.9 per 10,000 people. . There are currently more than 70 million healthcare workers worldwide.
However, the aging workforce is intensifying shortages, which WHO projects will reach 11.1 million health workers globally by 2030. In high-income countries, nearly 1 in 3 physicians is nearing retirement. By 2030, 67 countries will not have enough health workers to meet population health needs, the report found.
“Aging is the hidden health workforce crisis that requires urgent attention,” Khassoum Diallo, PhD, acting unit head of health workforce policies and data at the WHO Academy, said in a news release. “It is creating a double pressure on health systems, primarily in high-income countries.”
The U.S. has faced workforce shortages that, in many cases, have been eased by recruiting foreign-trained clinicians. In 2022, 32% of hospitals reported hiring foreign-educated nurses, up from 16% in 2010, a KFF analysis found. Foreign-born physicians make up roughly 27% of practicing physicians and surgeons in the U.S., and international medical graduates account for about 1 in 6 residents and fellows in teaching hospitals. An estimated 17,000 physicians are training or practicing on J-1 status nationally at any given time. Nearly 21 million Americans live in areas where foreign-trained physicians make up at least half the local physician workforce.
Global workforce aging adds to existing pressures on the U.S. pipeline of foreign-trained clinicians, which federal visa policy has already strained. In June 2025, the White House added travel restrictions tied to a list of restricted and banned countries. In September 2025, attention shifted to a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions filed from outside the U.S. followed by a Department of Homeland Security proposal to weight the H-1B lottery toward higher-wage applicants. In late May 2026, the administration paused J-1 visa interviews amid new social media screening requirements — the pause was lifted June 18.
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