Midwives Needed: Global Shortage Threatens Maternal Health
- A critical shortage of nearly one million midwives worldwide is jeopardizing the health of pregnant women and newborns,leaving them without essential care and increasing the risk of preventable...
- The study reveals that almost half of this shortage is concentrated in Africa, where nine out of ten women live in countries lacking sufficient midwifery personnel.
- "Nearly 1 million missing midwives means health systems are stretched beyond capacity, midwives are overworked and underpaid, and care becomes rushed and fragmented," said anna af Ugglas, chief...
Global Midwife Shortage Threatens Maternal and Infant Health
A critical shortage of nearly one million midwives worldwide is jeopardizing the health of pregnant women and newborns,leaving them without essential care and increasing the risk of preventable deaths,according to new research published january 22,2026.
The study reveals that almost half of this shortage is concentrated in Africa, where nine out of ten women live in countries lacking sufficient midwifery personnel. Researchers found that Africa has only 40% of the midwives it needs,the eastern Mediterranean only 31%,and the Americas just 15%.
“Nearly 1 million missing midwives means health systems are stretched beyond capacity, midwives are overworked and underpaid, and care becomes rushed and fragmented,” said anna af Ugglas, chief executive of the International confederation of Midwives (ICM) and a study author.
To ensure all women receive safe, high-quality care throughout pregnancy and childbirth, an additional 980,000 midwives are needed across 181 countries, according to the study, which appeared in the journal Women and Birth.
Previous research indicates that worldwide access to midwife-delivered care could prevent two-thirds of maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths, potentially saving 4.3 million lives annually by 2035. See previous research for more details.
The ICM emphasizes that the problem isn’t solely a lack of training programs. Many countries fail to employ trained midwives effectively or retain those already working in healthcare. “In many settings, midwives are educated but not absorbed into the workforce or not enabled to practice fully, compounding this already serious and universal shortage,” explained Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, ICM’s chief midwife and another of the report’s authors.
More than 90% of the global midwife shortage is occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The study estimated the number of midwives needed to perform basic tasks – including contraception counseling, antenatal care, and childbirth support – for all eligible women and babies in 181 countries, then compared that figure to current workforce numbers.
Researchers acknowledge some uncertainty due to limited data availability, but predict the gap between need and availability will “persist well into the next decade,” potentially hindering progress toward the global sustainable development goals of reducing maternal mortality and ending preventable deaths of newborns and children by 2030.
The ICM is urging governments to prioritize strengthening midwifery workforces and is collecting signatures for a global petition calling for increased investment in the profession. “When midwifery is a respected and well-supported profession, more women are motivated to train and stay in the workforce,” af Ugglas stated. “That is how countries improve health outcomes and build stronger, more sustainable health systems.”