Nurses — Health and social employment in Australia

Australia: Nurses — Health and social employment was 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
9th
of 24 countries
All-time high
18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2024
All-time low
13.49 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2001
Years of data
24
1995–2024

Nurses — Health and social employment in Australia, 1995–2024

051015201995200920241995: 14.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1997: 13.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants1999: 13.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2001: 13.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2003: 13.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants2004: 14.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants2005: 14.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants2007: 14.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2008: 14.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2009: 14.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2011: 14.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2012: 14.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2013: 14.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2014: 14.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants2015: 15 Per 1 000 inhabitants2016: 15.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants2017: 15.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants2018: 15.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2019: 15.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2020: 16.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants2021: 16.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2022: 17 Per 1 000 inhabitants2023: 17.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2024: 18 Per 1 000 inhabitants

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Per 1 000 inhabitants.

Analysis

In 2024, nurses — health and social employment in Australia stood at 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 21.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses — health and social employment in Australia peaked at 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.49 Per 1 000 inhabitants, in 2001.

Australia ranks 9th of 24 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 13.96 Per 1 000 inhabitants 13.66 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.34 Per 1 000 inhabitants 3
2000s 14.27 Per 1 000 inhabitants 13.49 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants 7
2010s 15.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants 15.76 Per 1 000 inhabitants 9
2020s 17.04 Per 1 000 inhabitants 16.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 6 Belgium 20.26 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  2. 7 United States 20.22 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  3. 8 Denmark 19.67 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  4. 10 Ireland 17.13 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  5. 11 New Zealand 16.06 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  6. 12 Serbia 13.29 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare

See the full ranking of 31 places →

More work & labour data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses — health and social employment in Australia?
Nurses — health and social employment in Australia was 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 18.01 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024.
What is the lowest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 13.49 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2001.
How does Australia rank for nurses — health and social employment?
Australia ranks 9th out of 24 countries with data for 2024.
Is nurses — health and social employment rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.0%. 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 — Health and social employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nurses — Health and social employment in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/nurses-health-and-social-employment/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 714 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by status (ie. practising nurses, professionally active nurses, and nurses licenced to practice) and category (ie. Professional nurses and associate professional nurses). Practising nurses provide services directly to patients. Professionally active nurses include practising nurses and other nurses for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. A nurse licensed to practice has completed a programme of nursing education and is qualified and authorised in his/her country to practice nursing. They include practising and other (non-practising) nurses. Professional nurses assume responsibility for the planning and management of the care of patients, including the supervision of other healthcare workers, working autonomously or in teams with medical doctors and others in the practical application of preventive and curative measures. Associate professional nurses generally work under the supervision of, and in support of implementation of healthcare, treatment and referrals plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.