Physicians, total — all countries

Physicians, total — South America

Physicians, total in South America in 2021 — 990,607 people. Since 2017, the indicator has risen by 1.3%.

2021 990,607 people +1.3% vs 2017
World rank
Period maximum 990,607 people2021
Period minimum 977,870 people2017

Trend over time

2017–2021 · people

Physicians, total — South America, 2017–2021975,000980,000985,000990,000995,000201720182019202020212017: 977,870 people2021: 990,607 people
Change over the period: +12,737 (+1.3%) Average annual rate: 0.32 %
Physicians, total — South America, by year South America All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2021 990,607
2017 977,870

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.