Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea

South Korea: Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people was 9.09 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
9.09 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
28th
of 188 countries
All-time high
9.09 per 1,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
1.09 per 1,000 people
in 1994
Years of data
29
1994–2022

Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea, 1994–2022

2468101994200820221994: 1.1 per 1,000 people1995: 1.1 per 1,000 people1996: 1.2 per 1,000 people1997: 2.7 per 1,000 people1998: 2.8 per 1,000 people1999: 2.9 per 1,000 people2000: 3 per 1,000 people2001: 3.4 per 1,000 people2002: 3.6 per 1,000 people2003: 3.6 per 1,000 people2004: 3.9 per 1,000 people2005: 3.9 per 1,000 people2006: 4 per 1,000 people2007: 4.2 per 1,000 people2008: 4.4 per 1,000 people2009: 4.6 per 1,000 people2010: 4.7 per 1,000 people2011: 4.8 per 1,000 people2012: 4.9 per 1,000 people2013: 5.3 per 1,000 people2014: 5.6 per 1,000 people2015: 6 per 1,000 people2016: 7 per 1,000 people2017: 7.1 per 1,000 people2018: 7.4 per 1,000 people2019: 8.1 per 1,000 people2020: 8.5 per 1,000 people2021: 8.9 per 1,000 people2022: 9.1 per 1,000 people

Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea is 9.09 per 1,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 85.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea peaked at 9.09 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.09 per 1,000 people, in 1994.

That places South Korea 28th out of 188 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea, 1994 to 2022.
Year per 1,000 people Change
1994 1.09 per 1,000 people
1995 1.14 per 1,000 people +4.2%
1996 1.2 per 1,000 people +5.0%
1997 2.74 per 1,000 people +128.8%
1998 2.78 per 1,000 people +1.5%
1999 2.92 per 1,000 people +5.2%
2000 3 per 1,000 people +2.6%
2001 3.4 per 1,000 people +13.5%
2002 3.64 per 1,000 people +6.9%
2003 3.6 per 1,000 people -1.1%
2004 3.86 per 1,000 people +7.2%
2005 3.9 per 1,000 people +1.1%
2006 4.04 per 1,000 people +3.7%
2007 4.21 per 1,000 people +4.1%
2008 4.41 per 1,000 people +4.8%
2009 4.55 per 1,000 people +3.1%
2010 4.71 per 1,000 people +3.5%
2011 4.81 per 1,000 people +2.1%
2012 4.91 per 1,000 people +2.0%
2013 5.25 per 1,000 people +7.1%
2014 5.62 per 1,000 people +6.9%
2015 5.97 per 1,000 people +6.2%
2016 6.98 per 1,000 people +17.0%
2017 7.09 per 1,000 people +1.6%
2018 7.4 per 1,000 people +4.3%
2019 8.09 per 1,000 people +9.4%
2020 8.53 per 1,000 people +5.4%
2021 8.91 per 1,000 people +4.5%
2022 9.09 per 1,000 people +2.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 9.09 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.39 per 1,000 people, 1.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 9.09 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.85 per 1,000 people, 2.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea 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
1997 +128.8% 1.2 per 1,000 people 2.74 per 1,000 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.98 per 1,000 people 1.09 per 1,000 people 2.92 per 1,000 people 6
2000s 3.86 per 1,000 people 3 per 1,000 people 4.55 per 1,000 people 10
2010s 6.08 per 1,000 people 4.71 per 1,000 people 8.09 per 1,000 people 10
2020s 8.84 per 1,000 people 8.53 per 1,000 people 9.09 per 1,000 people 3

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 25 San Marino 9.44 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 26 France 9.42 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 27 Paraguay 9.41 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 29 Qatar 8.49 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 30 Romania 8.25 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 31 Malta 8.24 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea?
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea was 9.09 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nurses and midwives per 1,000 people recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 9.09 per 1,000 people in 2022.
What is the lowest nurses and midwives per 1,000 people recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.09 per 1,000 people in 1994.
How does South Korea rank for nurses and midwives per 1,000 people?
South Korea ranks 28th out of 188 countries with data for 2022.
Is nurses and midwives per 1,000 people rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 85.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/nurses-and-midwives-per-1000-people/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 3,381 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed