Physicians, total — all countries

Physicians, total — China

Physicians, total in China in 2023 — 4,009,658 people. Ranked 1 in the world out of 117. Since 1978, the indicator has risen by 557.7%.

2023 4.01M people +7.73% vs 2022
World rank 1of 117
Period maximum 4.01M people2023
Period minimum 609,608 people1978

Trend over time

1978–2023 · people

Physicians, total — China, 1978–202302M4M6M19781983198819931998200320082013201820231978: 609,608 people1980: 709,473 people1985: 724,238 people1990: 1,302,997 people1995: 1,454,926 people1996: 1,475,232 people1997: 1,505,342 people1998: 1,513,975 people1999: 1,561,584 people2000: 1,603,266 people2001: 1,637,337 people2002: 1,463,573 people2003: 1,534,046 people2004: 1,582,442 people2005: 1,622,684 people2006: 1,678,031 people2007: 1,715,460 people2008: 1,791,881 people2009: 1,905,436 people2010: 1,972,840 people2011: 2,020,154 people2012: 2,138,836 people2013: 2,285,794 people2014: 2,374,917 people2015: 2,508,408 people2016: 2,651,398 people2017: 2,828,999 people2018: 3,010,376 people2019: 3,210,515 people2020: 3,401,672 people2021: 3,590,846 people2022: 3,721,811 people2023: 4,009,658 people
Change over the period: +3.4M (+557.74%) Average annual rate: 4.27 %
Physicians, total — China, by year China All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2023 4.01M +287,847 +7.73%
2022 3.72M +130,965 +3.65%
2021 3.59M +189,174 +5.56%
2020 3.4M +191,157 +5.95%
2019 3.21M +200,139 +6.65%
2018 3.01M +181,377 +6.41%
2017 2.83M +177,601 +6.7%
2016 2.65M +142,990 +5.7%
2015 2.51M +133,491 +5.62%
2014 2.37M +89,123 +3.9%
2013 2.29M +146,958 +6.87%
2012 2.14M +118,682 +5.87%
2011 2.02M +47,314 +2.4%
2010 1.97M +67,404 +3.54%
2009 1.91M +113,555 +6.34%
2008 1.79M +76,421 +4.45%
2007 1.72M +37,429 +2.23%
2006 1.68M +55,347 +3.41%
2005 1.62M +40,242 +2.54%
2004 1.58M +48,396 +3.15%
2003 1.53M +70,473 +4.82%
2002 1.46M −173,764 −10.61%
2001 1.64M +34,071 +2.13%
2000 1.6M +41,682 +2.67%
1999 1.56M +47,609 +3.14%
1998 1.51M +8,633 +0.57%
1997 1.51M +30,110 +2.04%
1996 1.48M +20,306 +1.4%
1995 1.45M
1990 1.3M
1985 724,238
1980 709,473
1978 609,608

Eastern Asia, 2023

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

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.