Contact Contacts
Healthcare

Physicians, total

How many physicians work in a country — in absolute numbers, from 1971 onward.

Unit: people Period: 1971–2024 Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO)
Source: WHO · About the indicator
Average: 76,172 people Countries: 194

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 2015 to 2024.

Physicians, total, 2015–2024

Top-20 · people

Physicians, total, 2015–202402M4M6MChinaChina: 4,009,658 people4.01MIndiaIndia: 1,386,136 people1.39MUnited StatesUnited States: 906,427 people906,427RussiaRussia: 744,100 people744,100BrazilBrazil: 529,672 people529,672GermanyGermany: 388,343 people388,343MexicoMexico: 357,004 people357,004JapanJapan: 331,092 people331,092PakistanPakistan: 322,715 people322,715ItalyItaly: 315,720 people315,720FranceFrance: 266,380 people266,380ArgentinaArgentina: 231,695 people231,695United KingdomUnited Kingdom: 230,393 people230,393SpainSpain: 212,201 people212,201TürkiyeTürkiye: 204,223 people204,223IranIran: 164,086 people164,086IndonesiaIndonesia: 158,322 people158,322PolandPoland: 141,452 people141,452South KoreaSouth Korea: 137,805 people137,805UkraineUkraine: 133,237 people133,237
Physicians, total — 2015–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 CN China 4.01M 2023 1
2 IN India 1.39M 2024 2
3 US United States 906,427 2022 3
4 RU Russia 744,100 2022 4
5 BR Brazil 529,672 2024 5
6 DE Germany 388,343 2023 6
7 MX Mexico 357,004 2023 7
8 JP Japan 331,092 2022 8
9 PK Pakistan 322,715 2024 9
10 IT Italy 315,720 2023 10
11 FR France 266,380 2023 11
12 AR Argentina 231,695 2023 12
13 GB United Kingdom 230,393 2023 13
14 ES Spain 212,201 2023 14
15 TR Türkiye 204,223 2023 15
16 IR Iran 164,086 2023 16
17 ID Indonesia 158,322 2024 17
18 PL Poland 141,452 2023 18
19 KR South Korea 137,805 2023 19
20 UA Ukraine 133,237 2023 20
21 CO Colombia 132,733 2023 21
22 EG Egypt 130,880 2021 22
23 BD Bangladesh 123,853 2023 23
24 CA Canada 113,435 2024 24
25 SA Saudi Arabia 113,300 2023 25
26 AU Australia 111,836 2023 26
27 VN Vietnam 109,535 2021 27
28 PH Philippines 100,608 2024 28
29 NG Nigeria 96,321 2024 29
30 CU Cuba 94,066 2022 30
31 UZ Uzbekistan 82,823 2023 31
32 KP North Korea 82,121 2024 32
33 MY Malaysia 80,768 2024 33
34 DZ Algeria 75,512 2022 34
35 RO Romania 70,965 2023 35
36 NL Netherlands 69,985 2023 36
37 CL Chile 68,987 2024 37
38 GR Greece 68,752 2023 38
39 KZ Kazakhstan 62,994 2024 39
40 PT Portugal 62,813 2023 40
41 PE Peru 57,128 2023 41
42 AT Austria 51,719 2024 42
43 VE Venezuela 50,866 2017 43
44 ZA South Africa 49,051 2024 44
45 IQ Iraq 47,966 2023 45
46 SE Sweden 46,918 2022 46
47 CZ Czechia 45,820 2023 47
48 BY Belarus 43,434 2024 48
49 TH Thailand 42,369 2023 49
50 EC Ecuador 40,587 2020 50
51 CH Switzerland 40,440 2023 51
52 MM Myanmar 39,826 2019 52
53 BE Belgium 39,723 2023 53
54 JO Jordan 37,685 2024 54
55 IL Israel 36,814 2024 55
56 SY Syria 36,551 2022 56
57 HU Hungary 34,743 2023 57
58 AZ Azerbaijan 32,787 2022 58
59 NP Nepal 32,247 2024 59
60 AE United Arab Emirates 31,844 2023 60
61 GT Guatemala 29,952 2024 61
62 MA Morocco 29,904 2023 62
63 BG Bulgaria 29,846 2023 63
64 NO Norway 27,455 2023 64
65 DK Denmark 26,942 2023 65
66 PY Paraguay 26,320 2022 66
67 LK Sri Lanka 26,097 2023 67
68 DO Dominican Republic 24,250 2024 68
69 RS Serbia 21,776 2023 69
70 GE Georgia 21,483 2023 70
71 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 21,290 2022 71
72 IE Ireland 20,961 2024 72
73 SK Slovakia 20,753 2023 73
74 ET Ethiopia 20,593 2024 74
75 HN Honduras 20,251 2023 75
76 NZ New Zealand 19,664 2024 76
77 TJ Tajikistan 19,433 2023 77
78 FI Finland 16,102 2023 78
79 MN Mongolia 15,973 2024 79
80 HR Croatia 15,480 2023 80
81 SG Singapore 15,455 2023 81
82 UY Uruguay 15,420 2023 82
83 BO Bolivia 15,326 2021 83
84 LB Lebanon 15,282 2020 84
85 TN Tunisia 15,108 2023 85
86 KE Kenya 14,662 2024 86
87 TM Turkmenistan 14,222 2024 87
88 LY Libya 13,757 2017 88
89 CR Costa Rica 13,656 2022 89
90 KW Kuwait 13,624 2022 90
91 LT Lithuania 13,256 2023 91
92 AF Afghanistan 13,155 2023 92
93 MD Moldova 12,038 2023 93
94 TZ Tanzania 12,023 2024 94
95 OM Oman 11,287 2024 95
96 KG Kyrgyzstan 11,101 2024 96
97 SD Sudan 10,683 2017 97
98 UG Uganda 10,322 2024 98
99 SV El Salvador 10,194 2023 99
100 GH Ghana 9,960 2024 100
101 AM Armenia 9,679 2022 101
102 QA Qatar 9,559 2024 102
103 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 8,645 2019 103
104 CI Côte d'Ivoire 8,127 2024 104
105 ML Mali 7,756 2024 105
106 AO Angola 7,665 2024 106
107 SI Slovenia 7,430 2023 107
108 PA Panama 7,150 2022 108
109 LV Latvia 6,309 2023 109
110 YE Yemen 6,289 2022 110
111 TT Trinidad and Tobago 6,184 2021 111
112 NI Nicaragua 6,110 2022 112
113 MK North Macedonia 5,417 2022 113
114 AL Albania 5,397 2020 114
115 CY Cyprus 5,119 2023 115
116 EE Estonia 4,772 2023 116
117 MU Mauritius 3,840 2023 117
118 KH Cambodia 3,473 2019 118
119 ZM Zambia 3,471 2024 119
120 HT Haiti 3,354 2022 120
121 MG Madagascar 3,297 2024 121
122 CG Republic of the Congo 3,154 2024 122
123 MZ Mozambique 3,136 2024 123
124 BJ Benin 3,096 2024 124
125 ZW Zimbabwe 3,092 2024 125
126 LA Laos 2,930 2024 126
127 JM Jamaica 2,903 2024 127
128 CM Cameroon 2,571 2024 128
129 BF Burkina Faso 2,518 2024 129
130 RW Rwanda 2,517 2024 130
131 MT Malta 2,515 2023 131
132 SN Senegal 2,289 2024 132
133 MW Malawi 1,815 2024 133
134 IS Iceland 1,801 2024 134
135 LU Luxembourg 1,780 2017 135
136 SS South Sudan 1,780 2024 135
137 ME Montenegro 1,778 2024 137
138 GN Guinea 1,692 2024 138
139 NA Namibia 1,691 2024 139
140 TD Chad 1,632 2024 140
141 MR Mauritania 1,273 2022 141
142 GA Gabon 1,266 2022 142
143 SO Somalia 1,229 2024 143
144 MV Maldives 1,187 2021 144
145 BI Burundi 1,169 2024 145
146 SL Sierra Leone 1,106 2022 146
147 BH Bahrain 1,099 2020 147
148 BW Botswana 1,080 2024 148
149 TL Timor-Leste 1,063 2023 149
150 GY Guyana 1,032 2023 150
151 BN Brunei Darussalam 1,008 2024 151
152 NE Niger 994 2023 152
153 LR Liberia 954 2022 153
154 SR Suriname 829 2024 154
155 LC Saint Lucia 755 2020 155
156 BS Bahamas 740 2017 156
157 FJ Fiji 697 2023 157
158 SZ Eswatini 685 2023 158
159 BB Barbados 677 2023 159
160 TG Togo 564 2024 160
161 GW Guinea-Bissau 548 2024 161
162 CF Central African Republic 532 2024 162
163 BZ Belize 528 2021 163
164 PG Papua New Guinea 483 2024 164
165 BT Bhutan 432 2022 165
166 LS Lesotho 431 2024 166
167 AD Andorra 419 2024 167
168 AG Antigua and Barbuda 405 2024 168
169 CV Cabo Verde 381 2023 169
170 KM Comoros 354 2022 170
171 MC Monaco 328 2020 171
172 ER Eritrea 308 2023 172
173 GQ Equatorial Guinea 275 2022 173
174 GM Gambia 242 2023 174
175 DJ Djibouti 240 2022 175
176 SB Solomon Islands 235 2024 176
177 SC Seychelles 213 2024 177
178 VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 191 2024 178
179 GD Grenada 160 2018 179
180 SM San Marino 148 2024 180
181 KN Saint Kitts and Nevis 145 2018 181
182 WS Samoa 120 2021 182
183 FM Micronesia 108 2020 183
184 TO Tonga 107 2021 184
185 ST Sao Tome and Principe 105 2022 185
186 DM Dominica 79 2018 186
187 KI Kiribati 62 2023 187
188 VU Vanuatu 48 2019 188
189 MH Marshall Islands 47 2021 189
190 PW Palau 32 2023 190
191 CK Cook Islands 27 2024 191
192 TV Tuvalu 17 2024 192
193 NR Nauru 14 2015 193
194 NU Niue 4 2024 194
Nothing found. Check the spelling of the name.
Maximum 4.01M people
Median 10,503 people
Minimum 4 people
World 11.66M people

About the indicator

The number of practicing physicians, from the WHO Global Health Observatory. The World Bank republishes only the density — physicians per thousand people — so the absolute number is available directly from WHO alone. Physicians of all specialties are counted, general practitioners and specialists included.

Important: The definition of a practicing physician differs across national registers: some countries include those working in administration and research. Physicians per thousand people is a separate indicator and suits comparison between countries better.

Updates
annually
Unit of measurement
people
Observation period
1971–2024
License
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Dataset
Global Health Observatory

Related indicators

Healthcare 1960–2023 Physicians per 1,000 people

The number of physicians per 1,000 people.

per 1,000 people 125 countries WHO Healthcare 1971–2024 Nurses and midwives, total

How many nurses and midwives work in a country — usually three times as many as physicians.

people 124 countries WHO Healthcare 1990–2023 Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people

How many nurses and midwives there are per 1,000 people.

per 1,000 people 126 countries WHO Healthcare 1960–2023 Hospital beds per 1,000 people

The number of hospital beds per 1,000 people — the capacity of inpatient care.

per 1,000 people 111 countries WHO
All indicators in Healthcare