Portugal Colonial - Global Nurse Migration Patterns Shift as Europe, Southeast Asia Absorb Growing Share of International Nurses

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / April 28, 2026 / TruMerit™ (formerly CGFNS International) today released its 2025 Nurse Migration Report, revealing significant shifts in global nurse migration patterns and widening inequities in nursing workforce distribution across regions with vastly different healthcare needs.

The report, which analyzes World Health Organization data and TruMerit's proprietary VisaScreen® application records, shows that international nurse migration flows are increasingly concentrated in regions with stronger healthcare infrastructure, while areas facing severe nursing shortages continue to lose ground in their ability to employ internationally educated nurses.

Europe and Southeast Asia see sharp increases in international nurse employment. According to TruMerit's analysis of WHO nursing workforce data, Europe now employs internationally educated nurses at a rate representing 8.01% of its healthcare workforce, compared to a ten-year average of 5.96%-a persistent and significant upward trend. Southeast Asia has seen internationally educated nurses as high as 24.87% of the healthcare workforce, compared to a ten-year average of 20.15%-again, indicative of a notable, steady trend despite fluctuations over the past decade. During the same period, the proportion of internationally educated nurses working in the Eastern Mediterranean and African regions has declined, exacerbating existing nursing shortages in underserved areas.

"These data expose a widening global imbalance: well-resourced health systems are accelerating their absorption of internationally educated nurses, while regions with the most severe nursing shortages are losing the capacity to employ the very professionals they urgently need," said Dr. Peter Preziosi, President and CEO of TruMerit. "Correcting this maldistribution will require coordinated action by both source and destination countries--grounded in ethical recruitment frameworks, stronger bilateral agreements that help offset the education and training costs borne by source countries, and sustained investment in nursing education and health system capacity in underserved regions."

Growing Complexity of International Nurse Career Pathways

The report highlights increasing mobility among internationally educated nurses. TruMerit's analysis of VisaScreen credentialing data from 2021-2024 shows that approximately 3% of nurses migrating to the United States had already worked internationally in another country before applying for U.S. authorization-evidence of an increasingly mobile global nursing workforce in which multiple international career moves are becoming more common.

"The data in this report make clear that nurse migration is not simply a matter of supply and demand-it reflects deeper structural inequities in how healthcare education, employment capacity, and healthcare resources are distributed globally," said Rodrigo Gouveia, Chief Global Affairs Officer at TruMerit. "Coordinated policy frameworks, investment in nursing education systems, and strengthening of health infrastructure in underserved regions are essential to ensuring that international nurse migration supports rather than exacerbates global health equity."

Emerging Risks: AI-Generated Credential Fraud Threatens Nursing Workforce Integrity

The 2025 Nurse Migration Report also examines emerging risks to healthcare workforce integrity, including the projected rise in AI-generated occupational fraud. Industry analysts project that by 2026, one in four job candidate profiles may be fabricated by artificial intelligence, underscoring the increasing importance of verified nurse credentialing systems for protecting patient safety.

The full 2025 Nurse Migration Report is available for download here.

About TruMerit
TruMerit is a worldwide leader in healthcare workforce development with nearly 50 years of experience supporting the mobility of nurses and other healthcare workers. Formerly CGFNS International, TruMerit validates the education, training, and professional experience of internationally educated health professionals seeking authorization to practice in the United States and other countries. Through its expanded mission and the Global Health Workforce Development Institute, TruMerit advances research, standards, and certifications that strengthen the global health workforce and promote equitable, sustainable career mobility.

Media Contact
LEA SIMS
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
TruMerit
[email protected]

SOURCE: TruMerit

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