Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment in Australia

Australia: Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment was 365,030 Persons in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
365,030 Persons
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
5th
of 21 countries
All-time high
365,030 Persons
in 2024
All-time low
257,189 Persons
in 2013
Years of data
12
2013–2024

Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment in Australia, 2013–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k2013201820242013: 257.2k Persons2014: 264.9k Persons2015: 271.2k Persons2016: 279.8k Persons2017: 287.4k Persons2018: 297.8k Persons2019: 309.9k Persons2020: 315.0k Persons2021: 329.0k Persons2022: 332.9k Persons2023: 347.6k Persons2024: 365.0k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2024, nurses by age and sex — health and social employment in Australia stood at 365,030 Persons. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

The figure is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 37.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses by age and sex — health and social employment in Australia peaked at 365,030 Persons in 2024 and was at its lowest, 257,189 Persons, in 2013.

That places Australia 5th out of 21 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment in Australia, 2013 to 2024.
Year Persons Change
2013 257,189 Persons
2014 264,876 Persons +3.0%
2015 271,151 Persons +2.4%
2016 279,789 Persons +3.2%
2017 287,405 Persons +2.7%
2018 297,807 Persons +3.6%
2019 309,906 Persons +4.1%
2020 315,017 Persons +1.6%
2021 328,982 Persons +4.4%
2022 332,865 Persons +1.2%
2023 347,643 Persons +4.4%
2024 365,030 Persons +5.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 281,160 Persons 257,189 Persons 309,906 Persons 7
2020s 337,907 Persons 315,017 Persons 365,030 Persons 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 2 Estonia 9,374 Persons compare
  2. 2 Germany 1.04 million Persons compare
  3. 3 France 607,644 Persons compare
  4. 3 Latvia 7,731 Persons compare
  5. 4 Canada 461,742 Persons compare
  6. 6 Argentina 288,875 Persons compare
  7. 7 Spain 280,200 Persons compare
  8. 8 Romania 159,745 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 25 places →

More work & labour data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses by age and sex — health and social employment in Australia?
Nurses by age and sex — health and social employment in Australia was 365,030 Persons in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest nurses by age and sex — health and social employment recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 365,030 Persons in 2024.
What is the lowest nurses by age and sex — health and social employment recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 257,189 Persons in 2013.
How does Australia rank for nurses by age and sex — health and social employment?
Australia ranks 5th out of 21 countries with data for 2024.
Is nurses by age and sex — health and social employment rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 37.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/nurses-by-age-and-sex-health-and-social-employment/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses by age and sex — Health and social employment
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
25 places, 342 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by age groups and sex. Age groups include less than 25, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+, for total, female and male nurses. The breakdown by age and gender is provided for practising nurses. If not available, the data are reported for professionally active nurses or nurses licensed to practise. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.