The average for 2020 based on 2 countries was 2.23 doctors per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Mexico: 2.41 doctors per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in Brazil: 2.05 doctors per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023 the countries with the most doctors per capita was Cuba, the country with the highest physician density. There were 84 physicians per every 10,000 of Cuba's population, however, the most recent data was from 2021. Other countries with high physician density were mostly found in Europe, including Monaco, Greece, Belgium, and Lithuania.

Among OECD countries in 2022, South Korea had the highest rate of yearly visits to a doctor per capita. On average, people in South Korea visited the doctors 15.7 times per year in person. Health care utilization is an important indicator of the success of a country’s health care system. There are many factors that affect health care utilization including healthcare structure and the supply of health care providers.

OECD health systems

Healthcare systems globally include a variety of tools for accessing healthcare, including private insurance based systems, like in the U.S., and universal systems, like in the U.K. Health systems have varying costs among the OECD countries. Worldwide, Europe has the highest expenditures for health as a proportion of the GDP. Among all OECD countries, The United States had the highest share of government spending on health care. Recent estimates of current per capita health expenditures showed the United States also had, by far, the highest per capita spending on health worldwide.

Supply of health providers

Globally, the country with the highest physician density is Cuba, although most other countries with high number of physicians to population was found in Europe. The number of graduates of medicine impacts the number of available physicians in countries. Among OECD countries, Latvia had the highest rate of graduates of medicine, which was almost twice the rate of the OECD average.

Austria leads the world in physician density with **** practicing doctors per thousand population in 2022, highlighting significant disparities in healthcare access globally. This stark contrast becomes evident when comparing Austria to countries like India, South Africa, and Indonesia, which have less than * physician per 1,000 people. Life expectancy and healthcare access Interestingly, countries with higher physician densities often correlate with higher life expectancies. Switzerland, for instance, boasts both a high physician density of **** per 1,000 people and the highest life expectancy globally at **** years. This relationship underscores the potential impact of accessible healthcare on population health. However, exceptions exist, as evidenced by the United States, where life expectancy has decreased in recent years despite having **** physicians per 1,000 people. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic have contributed to this decline. Healthcare expenditure and physician density While physician density is an important metric, it does not always directly correlate with healthcare spending. The United States, for example, has the highest per capita health expenditure among OECD countries, spending over ****** U.S. dollars per person in 2023. This is significantly higher than countries with greater physician densities like Austria and Germany. The U.S. also allocates the largest share of its GDP to healthcare, at **** percent. The United States is an outlier regarding the correlation between healthcare spending, resources and health outcomes.

The average for 2020 based on 14 countries was 3.85 doctors per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Austria: 5.35 doctors per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in Hungary: 3.14 doctors per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Global Number of Medical Doctors by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The average for 2020 based on 2 countries was 2.57 doctors per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Canada: 2.73 doctors per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in Mexico: 2.41 doctors per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.254 Ratio in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.212 Ratio for 2019. Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.186 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2020, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.298 Ratio in 2014 and a record low of 0.035 Ratio in 1960. Afghanistan Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.;World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.c.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.491 Ratio in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.447 Ratio for 2013. Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 0.277 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.729 Ratio in 1985 and a record low of 0.020 Ratio in 1960. Laos LA: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Laos – Table LA.World Bank: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

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Germany DE: Physicians: per 1000 People data was reported at 4.518 Ratio in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.459 Ratio for 2020. Germany DE: Physicians: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 3.487 Ratio from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2021, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.518 Ratio in 2021 and a record low of 2.762 Ratio in 1991. Germany DE: Physicians: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.;World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.c.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

In 2021, the density rate for medical doctors in Kuwait was **** per 10,000 people, the highest in that year among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The regional average of the density of physicians in the GCC was higher than the world average.

Global Total Doctors by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Ethiopia was reported at 0.108 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Ethiopia - Physicians - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Dominican Republic was reported at 2.235 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Dominican Republic - Physicians - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Ireland: Doctors per 1,000 people: The latest value from 2021 is 4.05 doctors per 1,000 people, an increase from 3.46 doctors per 1,000 people in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 3.93 doctors per 1,000 people, based on data from 12 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 2011 to 2021 is 3.16 doctors per 1,000 people. The minimum value, 2.67 doctors per 1,000 people, was reached in 2011 while the maximum of 4.05 doctors per 1,000 people was recorded in 2021.

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Israel was reported at 3.713 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Israel - Physicians - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The number of male physicians outnumber female physicians in the U.S. in most specialties. The only major exceptions are found in pediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, although female physicians do slightly outnumber males in a few other specialties. As of 2021, there were around 68,400 male family medicine/general practice physicians compared to 50,000 women in this specialty.

Physicians in the U.S.

Both the number of doctors and rate of doctors in the U.S. have increased over the years. As of 2021, there were around 946,800 active doctors of medicine in the U.S. This was around 29.9 physicians per 10,000 civilian population. In 1995, this rate stood at 24.2 physicians per 10,000 population.

Physicians by state

The states with the highest overall number of active physicians are California, New York, Texas, and Florida. However, the states with the highest rate of physicians per 10,000 civilian population include Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maryland. The District of Columbia has the highest rate of physicians by a large margin, with around 74.6 physicians per 10,000 population. The state with the highest annual compensation for physicians is Oklahoma, where physicians earn an annual average of 337,000 dollars.

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in France was reported at 3.343 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Physicians - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2022, practice satisfaction among primary care physicians varied significantly from one country to another. According to this survey conducted in 2022, physicians in Switzerland were mostly satisfied with their medical practice. That year, nearly 58 percent of Swiss doctors stated to be satisfied with their practice. On the other hand, physicians in the United Kingdom were the least satisfied among surveyed countries.