A global shortage of nearly a million midwives is leaving pregnant women without the basic care needed to prevent harm, including the deaths of mothers and babies, according to new research.
Almost half the shortage was in Africa, where nine in 10 women lived in a country without enough midwives, the researchers said.
Anna af Ugglas, chief executive of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and one of the study’s authors, said: “Nearly 1 million missing midwives means health systems are stretched beyond capacity, midwives are overworked and underpaid, and care becomes rushed and fragmented.
“Intervention rates rise, and women are more likely to experience poor-quality care or mistreatment,” she said. “This is not only a workforce issue, it is a quality and safety issue for women and babies.”
Source: The Guardian, 20 January 2026
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