Worldwide, 2420 medical schools, 467 schools or departments of public health, and an indeterminate number of postsecondary nursing educational institutions train about 1 million new doctors, nurses, midwives, and public health professionals every year. Severe institutional shortages are exacerbated by maldistribution, both between and within countries. Four countries (China, India, Brazil, and USA) each have more than 150 medical schools, whereas 36 countries have no medical schools at all. 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have one or no medical schools. In view of these imbalances, that medical school numbers do not align well with either country population size or national burden of disease is not surprising. The total global expenditure for health professional education is about US$100 billion per year, again with great disparities between countries. This amount is less than 2% of health expenditures worldwide, which is pitifully modest for a labour-intensive and talent-driven industry. The average cost per graduate is $113 000 for medical students and $46 000 for nurses, with unit costs highest in North America and lowest in China.