According to a 2023 survey, 62 percent of Ob/Gyns were female, the specialty with the highest share of female doctors in the U.S., followed by pediatrics. On the other hand, the medical specialties with the lowest share of female physicians were Orthopedics, Urology, and Cardiology.

In 2024, around 38 percent of physicians in the United States were women. During that year, half of physicians in the District of Columbia were women, the highest share of female physicians in the country. On the other hand, Idaho had the lowest share of female physicians in the U.S.

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.

The statistic displays the distribution of active physicians in the United States in 2021, based on specialty and gender. About 80 percent of physicians specializing in pain medicine and pain management are male and 20 percent are female. The largest number of active physicians are among primary care specialties such as internal medicine and general practice.

As of May 2024, the number of female physicians in U.S. amounted to *******. That year, California had the highest number of female physicians in the country, with roughly ****** female physicians.

In 2025, out of the *** thousand registered doctors in the United Kingdom, *** thousand were men and *** thousand were women. There was a more pronounced gender gap among specialist doctors in the UK, with ** thousand men to nearly ** thousand women qualified on the specialist register. Although on the GP register, women outnumber men with over ** thousand female GPs to nearly ** thousand male GPs. Gender distribution of UK doctors by age While there are **** male doctors than female doctors in total, the gender distribution of doctors in the UK looks different depending on the age group. Female doctors ********* their male counterpart in all age groups under 45 years old. Therefore, as more doctors retire, the proportion of female doctors will increase. Worldwide make-up of doctors in the UK Although the majority of medical practitioners in the UK received their medical qualification from within the UK, there is still a significant number of doctors who graduated outside the UK. As of 2024, some ** percent of registered doctors in the UK are from the European Economic Area (EEA) while a further third are international medical graduates (IMG) indicating the reliance of the NHS on immigration to support the organization’s workforce.

Global Share of Female Physicians Aged 45-54 by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In the African region, female physicians accounted for only 28 percent of all physicians. This was in contrast to the European region where 53 percent of physicians were female. The statistic shows the gender distribution of physicians worldwide from 2000 to 2018, by region.

In 2022, the share of female licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia stood at 37.4 percent. This included both Doctors of Medicine and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. In comparison, just three in ten physicians were women in 2010.

Forecast: Share of Female Physicians Aged 45-54 in Italy 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Share of Female Physicians Aged 45-54 in France 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Share of Female Physicians Aged 45-54 in Germany 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Share of Female Physicians Aged 45-54 in Japan 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Global Share of Female Practising Physicians Aged 55-64 by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The distribution of physicians across the United States reveals significant disparities, with California leading the pack at nearly ******* active doctors as of January 2025. This concentration of medical professionals in populous states highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring adequate healthcare access nationwide. The stark contrast between California's physician count and Wyoming's mere ***** doctors underscores the need for targeted efforts to address healthcare workforce shortages in less populated areas. Primary care and specialist distribution California's dominance in the medical field extends beyond overall physician numbers. The state leads in both primary care physicians and specialists, accounting for over ** percent of each category nationally. This concentration of medical expertise in California reflects broader trends, with New York and Texas following as the states with the highest numbers of active primary care physicians. The distribution of specialists also mirrors national patterns, with psychiatry, surgery, and anaesthesiology among the most common specialties. Physician burnout While the number of physicians continues to grow, physician burnout remains a significant issue. There are large variations in rates of burnout depending on a physician's gender and specialty. For example, burnout is disproportionally high among women, affecting ** percent of female physicians and ** percent of male physicians. Meanwhile, emergency medicine physicians reported the highest levels of burnout among specialists, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support the individual needs of doctors depending on their different circumstances.

In 2023, around 27.3 percent of physicians in South Korea were women. This represents a slight increase from the previous year. The share of female doctors in South Korea has steadily increased since 2000.

As of January 2025, there were a total of 566,723 specialty physicians active in the United States. Of these, most were specialized in emergency medicine. Physician compensation Significant pay variations exist across specialties and regions, with orthopedic doctors and surgeons command the highest average annual salaries at 558,000 U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the West North Central area offers the highest average physician compensation at 404,000 U.S. dollars annually. This region's higher pay likely stems from lower physician density in rural areas, creating less competition. Interestingly, doctors in Northeastern and Southwestern parts of the United States tend to earn less than their counterparts in other regions. Burnout among physicians Despite high salaries, U.S. physicians face high workload and stress in the workplace. Nearly half of surveyed doctors reported feeling burnout, with higher burnout rates among female doctors, younger physicians, and those in primary care compared to their counterparts. More effort to combat burnout is needed in the healthcare system. Increasing compensation was cited by physicians as the top measure to alleviate burnout, followed by adding support staff and offering more flexible schedules.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Wage and salary workers: Physicians and surgeons occupations: 16 years and over: Women (LEU0254701200A) from 2000 to 2019 about surgeons, physicians, medical, occupation, females, full-time, salaries, workers, 16 years +, wages, employment, and USA.

Forecast: Share of Female Practising Physicians in the US 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In Italy, the percentage of women among doctors under 60 years amounted to 57 percent in 2021. Among female doctors aged under 50, the percentage of women was even higher with 60 percent.