Thiruvananthapuram: The number of Indian nurses seeking employment abroad is decreasing significantly. According to the data, the number has fallen to two-thirds over the last three years. At the same time, the number of Malayali nurses receiving the necessary approvals to work in other countries each year remains higher than the combined number of nurses from all other states.

Associations of nurses and other stakeholders in the sector said that the drive in Gulf nations to employ their own citizens and increased restrictions in other countries had led to the present situation. The data reveals that the number of nurses who received immigration clearance fell by 12.1 per cent in 2024 and 30.2 per cent in 2025 nationwide, compared to 2023.

In 2023, 16,594 nurses in India received immigration clearance, among whom 9,980 were Malayalis. The next year, numbers fell to 14,584 and 8,572 respectively, and in 2025, the corresponding figures were 11,581 and 6,393 – a decline of 30.2 per cent over three years.

Data on Indian nurses also shows that Kerala, with 3,79,000, has the third highest number of Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (RN & RM) in the country. The top states are Karnataka, with 5,30,321 RN & RMs, and Tamil Nadu, with 3,94,405 RN & RMs. The Central Health Ministry’s statistics also mention that Kerala has 32,573 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM) and 8,507 Lady Health Visitors (LHV).