Why NCLEX Pass Data Is Your Secret Weapon for Future Workforce Planning

By Liz Nesladek, Chief Commercial Officer, Conexus MedStaff

The U.S. healthcare system faces an unprecedented nursing shortage. Demand will outpace supply significantly over the next decade. Many healthcare providers still rely heavily on traditional recruitment pipelines from the Philippines and India. Forward-thinking organizations see a different path: diversified international sourcing based on real-world data insights.

The NCLEX examination isn’t just a licensing requirement. It’s a powerful forecasting tool that reveals emerging talent markets and future workforce potential. By analyzing NCLEX pass data by country, healthcare leaders can identify rising opportunities. They can anticipate market shifts and build more resilient recruitment pipelines that protect against external disruptions.

Beyond the Numbers: Why NCLEX Data Matters Strategically

When we see significant increases in NCLEX passers from a particular country, we’re witnessing more than statistical growth. These numbers reflect fundamental changes in healthcare infrastructure, educational quality and candidate preparedness. High pass volumes signal market viability and trends reveal broader shifts in a country’s readiness to supply qualified nursing professionals.

NCLEX pass data serves as an early indicator system. It helps healthcare organizations identify which countries are investing in nursing education, improving English proficiency and creating conditions that produce NCLEX-ready candidates. This data-driven approach transforms international recruitment from a reactive scramble to a strategic advantage.

Several key factors emerge as predictive indicators:

• Improvements in English language education systems
• Cultural changes that broaden English usage
• Socio-economic development encourages longer education for women and nursing career pursuit
• Healthcare infrastructure investments in advanced equipment
• Expanded availability and quality of nursing education programs
• Political changes that either push professionals to emigrate or positively encourage economic emigration as a national strategy

Kenya: Africa’s Rising Healthcare Star

Kenya presents one of the most compelling growth stories in international nursing recruitment, with economic momentum accelerating at 4.9% GDP growth in Q1 2025, according to World Bank data. The country has demonstrated remarkable progress across multiple indicators that directly correlate with NCLEX success.

Adult literacy rates have surged from 78.7% in 2014 to 82.9% in 2022, representing a notable rise of 14.86% since a significant slump in 2007. This is driven by tuition-free primary education policies implemented since 2003 and skills-based curriculum reforms. Perhaps more significantly, Kenya has made substantial strides in gender empowerment, with 40.6% of Kenyan women now scoring 80% or higher on weighted empowerment indicators according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

This transformation has been driven by policy changes including the 2010 constitution guaranteeing gender equality and the Maputo Protocol, the growth of women’s advocacy movements, community efforts to overcome societal barriers and innovations like the M-Pesa platform that have improved financial inclusion. This cultural shift has resulted in lower teenage birth rates, higher female literacy and more women completing tertiary education, in turn creating a larger pool of qualified nursing candidates.

Kenya’s healthcare investment trajectory is equally promising. Projected growth to $3.58 billion by 2030. The country has established meaningful institutional partnerships:

• AMPATH collaboration between Moi University and Indiana University Health
• Partnerships between the University of Manchester and the Kenyan government on cancer care
• Exchange programs placing Kenyan registrars in U.S. hospitals like Riley Hospital for Children

The Nursing Council of Kenya serves as the accreditation authority responsible for approving programs of study. To date, it has approved 122 nursing and midwifery training institutions offering degree, basic and post-basic diploma programs across various nursing specialties. The Council maintains strict standards. If an institution or program isn’t approved, graduates cannot practice in Kenya or elsewhere. This ensures quality control that benefits international employers.

South Korea: Where Technology Meets Clinical Excellence

South Korea’s healthcare system represents a unique convergence of technological advancement and clinical excellence. This is particularly relevant as nursing education globally adapts examination formats to better align with NCLEX-style questioning. These include multiple choice, “select all that apply,” fill-in-the-blank and drag-and-drop computerized adaptive testing formats.

English proficiency is deeply embedded in the educational system. English instruction is mandatory from primary school and many children attend hagwons (after-school English academies) from an early age. This creates a population exceptionally well-prepared for English-language licensing examinations. This early and intensive English education addresses one of the key barriers many international nursing candidates face when attempting the NCLEX.

The country’s healthcare infrastructure showcases cutting-edge practices. Academic collaborations with institutions like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Seoul National University support it. The U.S. Embassy oversees medical device trade relations. South Korea’s economy thrives on technological innovation and robotization, profoundly influencing its healthcare system. According to Dialog Health research, it sets global standards for medical innovation.

Healthcare spending accounted for 9.72% of GDP in 2022, but this figure is expected to increase rapidly. Projections are expected to reach 14.39% by 2060, mainly driven by a rapidly aging population and rising healthcare service utilization. This dramatic increase in investment creates expanding opportunities. Nursing education and clinical experience with state-of-the-art technology. The result is nurses who are familiar with advanced medical equipment and evidence-based practices that directly transfer to U.S. healthcare settings.

The Strategic Advantage of Early Market Identification

Healthcare organizations that recognize these patterns and act on them strategically will build more resilient, diverse and sustainable international recruitment programs. The most successful healthcare organizations treat international recruitment as a strategic function, not reactive scrambling.

This requires data-driven decision-making, supported by regular analysis of NCLEX pass trends, shifts in educational infrastructure, and economic indicators in potential source countries. Partnering with specialized recruitment firms becomes essential. These firms maintain comprehensive databases and country-specific expertise for accessing insights effectively.

Understanding where NCLEX passers are coming from, and why, equips hospitals to anticipate market changes and helps future-proof workforce strategies. The data also reveals clear trends. Countries investing in education, advancing gender equality, modernizing healthcare infrastructure and adapting examination formats to align with international standards are producing increasingly qualified nursing candidates.

By treating NCLEX pass data as strategic intelligence rather than historical information, healthcare leaders can transform their approach from reactive to predictive. The question isn’t whether your organization should diversify its sourcing strategy, it’s how quickly you can begin leveraging these insights to build tomorrow’s nursing workforce today.