More than a quarter of NHS Scotland staff are aged 55 or over, up from less than a fifth in 2014, figures published by the health service show.
The share has reached 25.3%, compared with 24.9% last year and 19.7% in 2014. The figures count individual employees across all health boards and roles, including part-time and non-clinical staff. The proportion varies by board: 31.1% in NHS Highland and 23.7% in NHS Grampian.
Nursing faces a similar age profile. Royal College of Nursing analysis found that 23.3% of NHS nursing staff were 55 or over in 2025, up from 18.2% in 2016. More than 17,500 registered nurses fall in that age group, while the share among nursing support workers is 32.1%.
The college has raised concerns about experienced nurses leaving as fewer people enter training. Scottish universities accepted 3,340 students onto undergraduate nursing courses in 2025, 11.2% fewer than in 2019 and more than 1,000 below that year's intake target.
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