NZ inNumbers

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads

New Zealand was 13.83 per 1,000 people in 2025, up 5.8% on a year earlier.

Updated

Source: OECD. Last retrieved 10 October 2026.

In 2024, the latest period all 4 comparison countries have. New Zealand's newer value is 13.83 (2025; per 1000 people).

In 2024, the latest period all 4 comparison countries have.

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries
New ZealandAustraliaCanadaUnited States
Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries. New Zealand, 1990 to 2024, latest 13.07 per 1,000 people. Australia, 1995 to 2024, latest 14.82 per 1,000 people. Canada, 1990 to 2024, latest 11.19 per 1,000 people. United States, 1999 to 2024, latest 12.59 per 1,000 people.0510151990199620022008201420202024
Show the figures
PeriodNew Zealand (per 1,000 people)Australia (per 1,000 people)Canada (per 1,000 people)United States (per 1,000 people)
202413.07 per 1,000 people14.82 per 1,000 people11.19 per 1,000 people12.59 per 1,000 people
202312.24 per 1,000 people14.45 per 1,000 people11.05 per 1,000 people12.30 per 1,000 people
202212.23 per 1,000 people14.11 per 1,000 people11.13 per 1,000 people12.03 per 1,000 people
202111.73 per 1,000 people14.07 per 1,000 people11.18 per 1,000 people11.97 per 1,000 people
202011.37 per 1,000 people13.44 per 1,000 people10.99 per 1,000 people11.83 per 1,000 people
201910.97 per 1,000 people13.43 per 1,000 people10.93 per 1,000 people11.90 per 1,000 people
201810.94 per 1,000 people13.21 per 1,000 people10.87 per 1,000 people11.82 per 1,000 people
201710.86 per 1,000 people12.98 per 1,000 people10.91 per 1,000 people11.71 per 1,000 people
201610.95 per 1,000 people12.89 per 1,000 people10.97 per 1,000 people11.58 per 1,000 people
201510.95 per 1,000 people12.74 per 1,000 people10.93 per 1,000 people11.27 per 1,000 people
201410.83 per 1,000 people12.67 per 1,000 people10.83 per 1,000 people11.15 per 1,000 people
201310.80 per 1,000 people12.66 per 1,000 people10.71 per 1,000 people11.12 per 1,000 people
201210.76 per 1,000 people12.76 per 1,000 people10.53 per 1,000 people11.13 per 1,000 people
201110.80 per 1,000 people12.83 per 1,000 people10.50 per 1,000 people11.08 per 1,000 people
201010.89 per 1,000 peopleNo data10.44 per 1,000 people10.94 per 1,000 people
200910.36 per 1,000 people12.76 per 1,000 people10.36 per 1,000 people10.80 per 1,000 people
200810.51 per 1,000 people12.84 per 1,000 people10.27 per 1,000 people10.76 per 1,000 people
20079.92 per 1,000 people12.64 per 1,000 people10.12 per 1,000 people10.58 per 1,000 people
20069.52 per 1,000 peopleNo data10.01 per 1,000 people10.52 per 1,000 people
20059.71 per 1,000 people12.11 per 1,000 people9.96 per 1,000 people10.42 per 1,000 people
Full data: nurses international
Country comparison in 2024
CountryValue (per 1,000 people) in 2024
New Zealand13.07 per 1,000 people
Australia14.82 per 1,000 people
Canada11.19 per 1,000 people
United States12.59 per 1,000 people
2024New Zealand 13.07 per 1,000 peopleAustralia 14.82 per 1,000 peopleCanada 11.19 per 1,000 peopleUnited States 12.59 per 1,000 people
Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries. New Zealand: 13.07 per 1,000 people in 2024. Australia: 14.82 per 1,000 people in 2024. Canada: 11.19 per 1,000 people in 2024. United States: 12.59 per 1,000 people in 2024.

Lines break at accounting-basis changes and missing periods. Source: OECD.

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads: definitions

Professionally active nurses per 1,000 people, from OECD Health Statistics.

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads: comparison limits

These affect how the figures can be compared.

  • The UK does not report professionally active nurses to the OECD, so it is not shown.
  • Countries define nursing roles slightly differently (e.g. how associate nurses are counted).

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads: data by period

The latest ten periods for up to the first six series. Downloads contain every published observation.

PeriodNew ZealandAustraliaCanadaUnited States
202513.83 per 1,000 peopleNot availableNot availableNot available
202413.07 per 1,000 people14.82 per 1,000 people11.19 per 1,000 people12.59 per 1,000 people
202312.24 per 1,000 people14.45 per 1,000 people11.05 per 1,000 people12.3 per 1,000 people
202212.23 per 1,000 people14.11 per 1,000 people11.13 per 1,000 people12.03 per 1,000 people
202111.73 per 1,000 people14.07 per 1,000 people11.18 per 1,000 people11.97 per 1,000 people
202011.37 per 1,000 people13.44 per 1,000 people10.99 per 1,000 people11.83 per 1,000 people
201910.97 per 1,000 people13.43 per 1,000 people10.93 per 1,000 people11.9 per 1,000 people
201810.94 per 1,000 people13.21 per 1,000 people10.87 per 1,000 people11.82 per 1,000 people
201710.86 per 1,000 people12.98 per 1,000 people10.91 per 1,000 people11.71 per 1,000 people
201610.95 per 1,000 people12.89 per 1,000 people10.97 per 1,000 people11.58 per 1,000 people

Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads: questions for your AI

Download the file, attach it in the assistant you use, then paste the prompt. Whatever it tells you is its reading of the data, not ours.

  1. 1Download nurses-international.csv
  2. 2Attach it in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another assistant
  3. 3
    Paste this prompt

    The attached CSV is Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries (nurses-international), from OECD, Health workforce: nurses. Describe how each measure has changed, naming its unit and period. Treat changes in basis and missing periods as breaks. Distinguish observation from explanation. Limitations: The UK does not report professionally active nurses to the OECD, so it is not shown. Countries define nursing roles slightly differently (e.g. how associate nurses are counted).. Do not infer causation from changes during government terms.

Data related to nurses per 1,000 people: nz and other countries: data and downloads

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Nurses per 1,000 people: NZ and other countries: data and downloads: sources

The source publication, licence and snapshot used to build this page.

Organisation
OECD, Health workforce: nurses
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (Data), reuse including commercial with citation. OECD (2026), Health workforce: nurses, OECD Data Explorer, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/ (accessed on 10 October 2026). Figures selected and transformed by NZ in Numbers. Anyone reusing these figures must keep this OECD citation.
Reuse limits
Some OECD datasets include third-party material with its own terms; check the OECD terms page before monetising.
Snapshot
data/raw/oecd-nurses/2026-10-10_bc9f7ed033da.csv
SHA256
bc9f7ed033dad8f001ceedccb68c817e0038c478cd93cb73cccfb3d5f81a17e4
Retrieved
10 October 2026