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Physicians, total — all countries

Physicians, total — Afghanistan

Physicians, total in Afghanistan in 2023 — 13,155 people. Ranked 69 in the world out of 117. Since 2001, the indicator has risen by 220.5%.

2023 13,155 people +33.15% vs 2020
World rank 69of 117
Period maximum 13,155 people2023
Period minimum 4,104 people2001

Trend over time

2001–2023 · people

Physicians, total — Afghanistan, 2001–202305,00010,00015,000200120042007201020132016201920222001: 4,104 people2006: 4,220 people2007: 4,723 people2008: 4,834 people2009: 6,037 people2010: 6,901 people2011: 7,584 people2012: 7,521 people2013: 9,184 people2014: 9,954 people2015: 9,808 people2016: 9,842 people2017: 8,744 people2018: 11,144 people2019: 8,082 people2020: 9,880 people2023: 13,155 people
Change over the period: +9,051 (+220.54%) Average annual rate: 5.44 %

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Afghanistan

Afghanistan 13,155 people
South Asia computed 1.78M people
Southern Asia computed 1.95M people
Physicians, total — Afghanistan, by year Afghanistan All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2023 13,155 — —
2020 9,880 +1,798 +22.25%
2019 8,082 −3,062 −27.48%
2018 11,144 +2,400 +27.45%
2017 8,744 −1,098 −11.16%
2016 9,842 +34 +0.35%
2015 9,808 −146 −1.47%
2014 9,954 +770 +8.38%
2013 9,184 +1,663 +22.11%
2012 7,521 −63 −0.83%
2011 7,584 +683 +9.9%
2010 6,901 +864 +14.31%
2009 6,037 +1,203 +24.89%
2008 4,834 +111 +2.35%
2007 4,723 +503 +11.92%
2006 4,220 — —
2001 4,104 — —

Southern Asia, 2023

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

IN India 1.35M PK Pakistan 240,399 IR Iran 164,086 BD Bangladesh 123,853 NP Nepal 30,027 LK Sri Lanka 26,097 AF Afghanistan 13,155
Full table for all countries

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.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Other indicators for Afghanistan

Healthcare Physicians per 1,000 people

The number of physicians per 1,000 people.

Afghanistan by year Healthcare Nurses and midwives, total

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

Afghanistan by year Healthcare Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people

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

Afghanistan by year Healthcare Hospital beds per 1,000 people

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

Afghanistan by year
All indicators for Afghanistan