Abstract: Based on the data of Chinese Licensure Examination for Nurse from 2011 to 2021, this paper analyzed the development and issues in the number of examinees, educational-level composition, quality and distribution of the initial nursing education in China. It is suggested that the number of nursing graduates could meet the demand for qualified nurses if simply the number was considered. The educational-level composition of initial nursing education needs further improvement by increasing the recruitment of graduates from general high schools into baccalaureate and advanced diploma nursing educational programs, while gradually decreasing the recruitment into secondary diploma programs and optimizing the educational models for students upgrading from secondary diploma to advanced diploma programs. There is still more room for the quality of nursing education to be better. An unbalanced distribution of the number and educational-level composition in nursing education among regions was observed, indicating that strategies should be strengthened to facilitate a balanced development of higher nursing education in all regions.

Key words: Chinese Licensure Examination for Nurse; nursing education; number; educational-level composition; quality of education; distribution