title: An analysis of the global pharmacy workforce capacity.
abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there is a global healthcare workforce shortage of 7.2 million, which is predicted to grow to 12.9 million by 2035. Globally, people are living longer with multiple co-morbidities and require increased access and use of medicines. Pharmacists are a key component of the healthcare workforce, and in many countries, pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare profession. This paper identifies key issues and current trends affecting the global pharmacy workforce, in particular workforce distribution, country economic status, capacity, and workforce gender balance.
  
  
  
  National professional pharmacy leadership bodies, together with other contacts for professional bodies, regulatory bodies, and universities, were approached to provide country-level data on pharmacy workforce. A descriptive and comparative analysis was conducted to assess each country's pharmacy workforce.
  
  
  
  A total of 89 countries and territories responded to the survey. To standardise the capacity measure, an analysis of the population density of pharmacists (per 10 000 population) was performed. The sample mean was 6 pharmacists per 10 000 population (n = 80). There is considerable variation between the surveyed countries/territories ranging from 0.02 (Somalia) to 25.07 (Malta) pharmacists per 10 000 population. African nations have significantly fewer pharmacists per capita. Pharmacist density correlates with gross national income (GNI) and health expenditure. The majority of pharmacists are employed in community settings, followed by hospital, industry-related, academia, and regulation. There is a greater proportion of females in the pharmacy workforce globally, with some WHO regions showing female representation of more than 65 % with an increasing trend trajectory.
  
  
  
  Pharmacy workforce capacity varies considerably between countries and regions and generally correlates with population- and country-level economic indicators. Those countries and territories with lower economic indicators tend to have fewer pharmacists and pharmacy technicians; this has implications for inequalities regarding access to medicines and medicine expertise.
authors.affiliation: FIP Collaborating Centre, UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom. i.bates@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.affiliation: Global Pharmacy Workforce Observatory, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 66-68 East Smithfield, London, E1W 1AW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), 2517 JP, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.affiliation: FIP Collaborating Centre, UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: FIP Collaborating Centre, UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aliabadi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D057217:Economic Development; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D024382:Professional Role; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Capacity; Global; Healthcare; Pharmacy workforce