International Nurses Day
IND is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses' Day (IND) resources and evidence.
IND 2026: Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives
Every day, nurses both save and improve lives, and their impact is greatest when they are properly empowered. At a moment of extraordinary global pressure, this year’s IND theme focuses on making the structural changes needed to harness the power of the nursing workforce. Building on the last two IND reports - The Economic Power of Care and Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies - this new theme highlights the vital role of the nursing workforce to improve health outcomes and deliver the trusted, person-centred primary care that can transform health systems and address our world’s biggest health challenges. Our hashtags for 2026 are #IND2026 and #OurNursesOurFuture.
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IND 2026 Report
The world's 30 million nurses hold extraordinary, measurable power to save and improve lives, strengthen health systems, and hold societies together. ICN's 2026 International Nurses Day report, Empowered Nurses Save Lives, brings together the evidence for seven distinct nursing powers - trust, the professional, numbers, practice, care, proximity, and peace - each of which delivers transformative, data-backed improvements in health outcomes, access, safety, and resilience.
Read moreIND 2026: EMRO E-Journal
Nurses throughout the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) continue to deliver lifesaving care, often under extremely challenging circumstances, including responding to, recovering from, and rebuilding after conflicts and crises. This e-journal is a celebration of all that EMRO nurses represent. The region’s National Nurses Associations have created this journal, supported by ICN, as a platform to celebrate, connect, and amplify the voices of nurses throughout EMRO.
Read more
Download our resources
IND 2026 logo
English | French | Spanish
Turkish Japanese Italian German
IND 2026 "Powers" templates to share stories
"Powers" PowerPoint templates
IND 2026 posters in English | French | Spanish
A4 and A3 sizes
Brand guidelines with downloadable assets/templates
In English with downloadable assets/templates in English | French | Spanish
* Please use all materials in their original form. If you require an alternative version or have any questions, please contact us here.
Past INDs
Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies
Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.
Our Nurses. Our Future.
Nurses: A Voice to Lead Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health
Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A vision for future healthcare
Nurses: A Voice to Lead - Nursing the world to health
Nurses: A voice to lead - Health for All
Nurses: A voice to lead - Health is a Human Right
Nurses: A voice to lead - Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
News
New global report shows empowering nurses is key to saving lives and strengthening health systems
As the world marks International Nurses Day, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is calling for urgent investment in nursing, supported by a major new global report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives, that presents seven key nursing powers.
12 May 2026
ICN’s call for International Nurses Day 2026: empower nurses to save lives
ICN has announced the theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2026: Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives.
5 February 2026
On International Nurses Day a new State of the World’s Nursing Report charts a path toward Universal Health Coverage
As the world’s nurses celebrate International Nurses Day, ICN issues a rallying cry to governments around the globe for urgent nursing support, following the launch of the second World Health Organization State of the World’s Nursing report.
12 May 2025
ICN launches new report and survey warning of deepening global nursing crisis but offering solutions
ICN today launched a landmark report backed up by a new survey, warning of a deepening crisis in the wellbeing of the global nursing workforce and providing compelling evidence for urgent investment in nurses to improve health outcomes, strengthen economies, and build more resilient societies.
16 April 2025
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IND
New global report shows empowering nurses is key to saving lives and strengthening health systems
As the world marks International Nurses Day, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is calling for urgent investment in nursing, supported by a major new global report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives, that presents seven key nursing powers.
12 May 2026
-
IND
ICN’s call for International Nurses Day 2026: empower nurses to save lives
ICN has announced the theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2026: Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives.
5 February 2026
-
IND
On International Nurses Day a new State of the World’s Nursing Report charts a path toward Universal Health Coverage
As the world’s nurses celebrate International Nurses Day, ICN issues a rallying cry to governments around the globe for urgent nursing support, following the launch of the second World Health Organization State of the World’s Nursing report.
12 May 2025
-
IND
ICN launches new report and survey warning of deepening global nursing crisis but offering solutions
ICN today launched a landmark report backed up by a new survey, warning of a deepening crisis in the wellbeing of the global nursing workforce and providing compelling evidence for urgent investment in nurses to improve health outcomes, strengthen economies, and build more resilient societies.
16 April 2025