About International Nurses Day
International Nurses Day is observed on 12 May, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, and has been marked by the International Council of Nurses since 1965. In India the President confers the National Florence Nightingale Awards on the same date. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 12 May 2027.
Patients remember the doctor's name and the nurse's face. International Nurses Day is the one date in the year built to correct that, and in India it comes with a Rashtrapati Bhavan ceremony to match.
Why is International Nurses Day celebrated on 12 May?
International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May because it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the British nurse and statistician who set up the first training school for nurses and made hospital record-keeping a professional habit. The International Council of Nurses has observed the day since 1965, and in January 1974 formally fixed it on her birthday. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday, 12 May 2027.
The ICN chooses a theme each year and publishes a report to go with it. Countries vary the date. The United States marks National Nurses Week from 6 to 12 May, Canada has had a national nursing week since 1985, Thailand observes 21 October, and Singapore 1 August. In Britain, Westminster Abbey holds a service in which a lamp is carried from one nurse to another.
Is National Nurses Day in India the same as International Nurses Day?
In India the two are the same day. Hospitals, nursing councils and news outlets use "National Nurses Day" and "International Nurses Day" interchangeably for 12 May, and the government's own ceremony falls on that date. India does not have a separate, officially notified national nurses day on another date, unlike National Doctors' Day on 1 July, which is tied to an Indian figure.
The Indian half of the day is the National Florence Nightingale Awards. Instituted in 1973 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, they go to 15 nursing personnel each year and are handed over by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Each award carries a certificate of merit, a medal and one lakh rupees. Registered nurses, midwives, auxiliary nurse midwives and lady health visitors from central, state and voluntary institutions are all eligible.
How many nurses does India have?
India had 46.02 lakh registered nursing personnel as of 31 December 2025, according to the Health Ministry's reply in the Rajya Sabha on 21 July 2026, citing Indian Nursing Council records. That works out to 2.60 nurses per 1,000 people, still under the WHO benchmark of three per 1,000.
The national average hides a lopsided map. Kerala has 10.47 registered nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, Karnataka 7.69, Arunachal Pradesh 6.81, Andhra Pradesh 5.72 and Tamil Nadu 5.09. Four southern states account for close to 46 per cent of India's registered nurses and midwives while holding about a fifth of its population. Nursing education grew up around those states, and their graduates staff hospitals in the rest of India and across the Gulf, Britain and Ireland.
| Category | What it means | Where they mostly work |
|---|---|---|
| RN & RM | Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife, the main hospital qualification | Wards, ICUs, operation theatres, emergency rooms, labour rooms |
| ANM | Auxiliary Nurse Midwife | Sub-centres and villages: immunisation, antenatal checks, home visits |
| LHV | Lady Health Visitor | Supervising public health programmes and field staff |
| Nursing officer | The government job title for a staff nurse | District hospitals, medical colleges, central institutions |
Globally, WHO counted 29.8 million nurses in 2023, up from 27.9 million in 2018, with the shortage narrowing from 6.2 million to 5.8 million. It also warned that the distribution is deeply uneven, which is exactly what India's own state figures show.
How is International Nurses Day marked in hospitals?
Hospitals hold a short felicitation, usually in the morning before the shift change, with a lamp-lighting and a recitation of the nursing pledge. Nursing colleges hold candle ceremonies for first-year students. Associations use the day to raise the harder subjects: nurse-to-patient ratios on night shifts, contractual pay, violence against staff in casualty wards, and the cost of emigration for Indian hospitals.
What should you write to a nurse on International Nurses Day?
Name the shift and the thing they did. Nurses are told they are angels and rarely told that the way they taped a drip or spoke to a frightened parent was skilled work. Skip the halo language and describe the skill.
Happy Nurses Day, Sister Anitha. You sat with Amma through the worst night in the ICU and told us the truth gently. We will not forget it.
Happy International Nurses Day, Didi. Twelve-hour shifts, festivals on duty, and you still ask about everyone else at home first. We see it.
Happy Nurses Day. Sleep first, then read this. Whatever they paid you for last month's night shifts was not enough.
Happy International Nurses Day. The first cannula is terrifying and the hundredth is not. Keep going; the ward needs people like you.
Happy Nurses Day to the team on the second floor. You cover each other's breaks, catch each other's errors and never make a fuss about it.
Happy International Nurses Day. Indian training, Irish winter, same patience. Proud of you from here.
Happy International Nurses Day. Two ANMs for thirty villages, and the immunisation numbers still hold up. That is the whole health system in your hands.
Happy Nurses Day, Aunty. Forty years in the labour room and half this town was received by your hands first.
Do
- Use the nurse's name and, if you can, their designation; "Nursing Officer" is the official title in government hospitals.
- Include male nurses; nursing in India is no longer a women-only profession.
- Send food or a card to the whole ward rather than a gift to one person.
Avoid
- Avoid calling nurses angels or saints; it is used to excuse poor pay and long shifts.
- Don't message at the start of a shift change or early morning if they work nights.
- Don't use the day to ask for free medical advice or a bed.
Related days include National Doctors' Day on 1 July, World Health Day on 7 April and World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day on 8 May, four days before this one.
How to wish someone on International Nurses Day
Nurses are thanked in general and remembered in particular. Write about the particular: the night the fever broke, the cannula that finally went in painlessly, the person who explained a discharge summary when the doctor had moved on. Use their name. If you are messaging a nurse who works nights, send it in the evening, not at 8 am.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Nurses Day in 2026 and 2027?
International Nurses Day is on 12 May every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is International Nurses Day in 2027?
International Nurses Day 2027 falls on Wednesday, 12 May 2027.
Why is International Nurses Day celebrated on 12 May?
International Nurses Day is on 12 May because it is Florence Nightingale's birthday. The International Council of Nurses has marked the day since 1965 and fixed it on her birth anniversary in January 1974.
Is National Nurses Day in India different from International Nurses Day?
No. In India both names refer to 12 May. There is no separate government-notified national nurses day on another date, and the National Florence Nightingale Awards are presented on 12 May.
What is the National Florence Nightingale Award?
The National Florence Nightingale Award is India's highest recognition for nursing personnel, instituted in 1973 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Fifteen awards are given each year by the President, each carrying a certificate, a medal and one lakh rupees.
How many nurses are there in India?
India had 46.02 lakh registered nursing personnel as of 31 December 2025, according to the Health Ministry's reply in Parliament, giving a ratio of 2.60 nurses per 1,000 people against the WHO benchmark of three.
Which Indian state has the most nurses?
Kerala has the highest concentration, with 10.47 registered nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, followed by Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Four southern states account for nearly 46 per cent of India's registered nurses.
What is a good message for a nurse?
A good nurses day message names the shift, the ward or the specific thing the nurse did, such as sitting with a patient through a bad night or explaining a discharge summary. Use their name and avoid calling them an angel.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .