Number of Nurses Increases by 32%, Yet Regional Disparities Persist with Jeonnam's Bed-to-Nurse Ratio 2.5 Times That of Seoul

While the number of nurses has increased, leading to a decrease in the number of hospital beds per nurse, regional disparities remain significant.

According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of clinical nursing staff at medical institutions nationwide rose by 32.4 percent, or approximately 73,000, from 225,462 in 2020 to 298,554 in 2025.

Excluding clinics and traditional Korean medicine clinics that do not have inpatient wards, the number of nurses per medical institution at the hospital level or higher also increased from 90.5 in 2020 to 125.1 in 2025.

However, despite the overall increase in the workforce, regional gaps persist.

As of 2020, the national average number of licensed beds per nurse was 1.9. While Seoul (1.2 beds), Jeju (1.5 beds), and Incheon (1.6 beds) were below the average, Jeonnam (3.0 beds) and Gyeongbuk (3.1 beds) recorded figures approximately 2.5 times higher than that of Seoul.

In 2025, the national average improved to 1.31 beds. Metropolitan cities remained at the top with Seoul at 0.90 beds, Incheon at 1.11 beds, and Ulsan at 1.21 beds. In contrast, Chungbuk (1.76 beds) and Jeonnam (2.29 beds) still showed figures two to 2.5 times higher than Seoul.

A lower number of beds per nurse indicates a more sufficient nursing staff per hospital bed.

The nursing community points out that these regional disparities in workforce size, combined with factors such as salary levels and work intensity, create a vicious cycle of persistent staffing shortages.

They argue that as personnel leave regions with fewer resources for nearby areas with better working conditions, regional gaps fail to improve, which in turn leads to further deterioration of working conditions.

There are also concerns that chronic staffing shortages and heavy workloads contribute to workplace bullying, known as taeum, which remains a persistent issue.

Regarding a recent case where a nurse at a hospital in Gyeonggi Province passed away after resigning due to workplace bullying, the Korean Nurses Association stated, "We feel a heavy sense of responsibility in the face of this reality where we could not prevent another tragedy," while calling for effective institutional improvements to resolve staffing shortages.

The Korean Nurses Association stated, "Through the currently proposed nursing law amendment, we will establish legal standards for the number of patients per nurse and cooperate with relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to ensure these standards are strictly followed in the field after the bill is passed."

They added, "We will expand the grievance counseling functions of the Nursing Workforce Support Center and extend the scope of the dedicated educational nurse system, which is currently centered on general hospitals with 300 beds or more, to protect new nurses."
 

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.