WHO: Africa Faces 54% Health Workforce Gap as Shortfall Could Hit 6.28m by 2035
Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Africa is currently operating with just 46% of the health workforce it needs, leaving a 54% gap that could widen into a 6.28 million shortfall by 2035, according to new findings from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.
The figures released on Tuesday, drawn from the forthcoming State of the Health Workforce in Africa 2026 report, highlight a deepening structural crisis where training output is increasing but access to care remains critically low.
Health system data show a growing paradox: while more professionals are being trained across the continent, millions of Africans still lack access to essential health services, driven by uneven distribution, migration (brain drain), and limited absorption into national health systems.
The WHO Africa region said the imbalance between workforce supply and healthcare demand continues to widen, raising concerns about the continent’s ability to meet universal health coverage targets.
The findings will be formally presented during a high-level virtual media briefing scheduled for May 6, 2026, where policymakers and experts are expected to outline data-driven solutions to workforce gaps.
Confirmed speakers include Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh; WHO Africa Regional Director, Mohamed Janabi; WHO Representative in Ghana, Fiona Braka; and Director of Health Systems at WHO Africa, Adelheid Onyango.
The session, running from 13:00 to 14:00 GMT, will be streamed live via WHO Africa’s official social media channels, with multilingual participation in English, French, and Portuguese.
Health experts say addressing the crisis will require aggressive investment in recruitment, retention, and equitable deployment, alongside policies to curb migration and strengthen health system capacity across African countries.
About the Author
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Mirian Gom 
