Saudi Arabia now has more than 235,000 nurses, according to official figures.

The Ministry of Health has announced an increase in registered nurses working in the Kingdom’s healthcare sector, celebrating this growth on International Nurses Day.

According to a ministry report, the number of nurses in 2023 had grown by over 23 per cent since 2016, with over 235,461 nurses working in the public and private sectors.

Nurses in Saudi Arabia

The report said this growth reflects a growing interest in the profession and the Kingdom’s investment in ensuring adequate staffing and high-quality care.

Saudi Arabia now boasts 14 universities offering nursing programs, whose graduates, qualified Saudi specialists in various fields, are a valuable resource to the country.

The Ministry of Health credits this increase to the efforts it exerted, in partnership with the concerned government entities, to implement, under the Health Sector Transformation Program, a strategy that buttresses and empowers the nursing profession.

The Health Sector Transformation Program, one of Vision 2030 programs, lends support to health cadres in the Kingdom in order to ensure the provision of high-quality health services.