The number of Indian nurses seeking employment overseas has declined significantly over the past three years, reflecting changing global recruitment trends and stricter immigration policies. Despite the overall drop, nurses from Kerala continue to account for the largest share of India’s overseas nursing workforce, with more Keralites receiving immigration clearance each year than nurses from all other states combined.
According to official data, the number of Indian nurses granted immigration clearance has steadily declined since 2023. Industry experts and nursing associations attribute the slowdown to Gulf countries increasingly prioritising employment for their own citizens, along with tighter immigration regulations and recruitment restrictions in several other popular destination countries.
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The figures show that 16,594 Indian nurses received immigration clearance in 2023, of whom 9,980 were from Kerala. In 2024, the total number fell to 14,584, including 8,572 Malayali nurses. By 2025, the number had dropped further to 11,581 nationwide, with 6,393 nurses from Kerala receiving approval to work abroad.
Overall, immigration clearances for Indian nurses declined by 12.1 per cent in 2024 and by 30.2 per cent in 2025, compared with 2023 levels, highlighting a significant slowdown in overseas migration.
Even with the decline, Kerala remains India’s leading contributor to the international nursing workforce. The state’s nursing professionals continue to dominate overseas placements, underscoring Kerala’s long-standing reputation as one of the country’s largest suppliers of skilled healthcare workers.
Data from the Central Health Ministry also shows that Kerala has the third-highest number of Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (RN & RM) in India, with 3,79,000 registered professionals. Karnataka tops the list with 5,30,321 RN & RMs, followed by Tamil Nadu with 3,94,405.
In addition, Kerala has 32,573 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and 8,507 Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), reflecting the state’s strong healthcare workforce despite the slowdown in international migration.
Healthcare experts believe that while overseas opportunities have become more limited due to changing recruitment priorities abroad, Kerala’s highly trained nursing workforce is likely to remain in demand globally, even as migration patterns continue to evolve.
