The State of the World's Midwifery 2021

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The State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021 presents findings on the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (SRMNAH) workforce from 194 countries. The report, produced by UNFPA, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Novametrics, shows the progress and trends since the inaugural 2011 edition and identifies the barriers and challenges to future advancement. The report establishes a global shortage of 1.1 million SRMNAH workers, the largest shortage (900,000) being midwives.

Policy dialogue on the State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 report

18 May 2021

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UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem on The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 Report

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The world is currently facing an acute shortage of 900,000 midwives, which represents a third of the required global midwifery workforce. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated these problems, with the health needs of women and newborns being overshadowed, midwifery services being disrupted and midwives being deployed to other health services.

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The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021: Fast facts

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An executive summary of the key points from the detailed analyses conducted for the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021, including an infographic which presents the headline results and conclusions.

State of the World’s Midwifery 2021: Executive summary

Read more about State of the World’s Midwifery 2021: Executive summary

A 4-page summary of the key points from the detailed analyses conducted for the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021. It sets out the scale of the workforce challenges and proposes 4 areas in which bold investments in midwives and midwifery are needed.

The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021

Midwives per 10,000 population

Colour indicates the number of midwives per 10,000 population. "Midwives" includes midwifery professionals, midwifery associate professionals, midwives not further defined, nursing professionals with midwifery training and nursing associate professionals with midwifery training

Click on a country to view key data and access the SoWMy 2021 country profile

10+
4 - 9.99
3 - 3.99
2 - 2.99
1 - 1.99
0 - 0.99
not reported

nr = not reported
Last update date: 3 May 2021
The estimates shown for the key SRMNAH indicators were those available in mid-2020 and used for the modelling of the estimates for other indicators in this report. More recent updates to these data sources are not captured. A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

Data sources:
Midwives per 10,000 population, number of midwives: National Health Workforce Accounts, 2020 update
Pregnancies: Live births from World Population Prospects 2019 revision with a multiplier based on Tatem et al. 2014
Births attended by skilled health personnel: SDG indicator database
Maternal mortality ratio: WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UN Population Division, 2019
Neonatal mortality rate UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality estimation, 2020

The designations employed and the presentation of material on the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNFPA concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.

How to use the SoWMy 2021 country profile

Read more about How to use the SoWMy 2021 country profile

A detailed explanation of the data in the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021 country profile and the sources and definitions used to produce it. The data and analysis are explained, and advice is provided on how to interpret and use the country profiles.

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