Physicians in Australia
Australia: Physicians was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Physicians in Australia, 1961–2022
Source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2022, physicians in Australia stood at 4.09 per 1,000 people. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physicians in Australia peaked at 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.1 per 1,000 people, in 1961.
Australia ranks 29th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.15 per 1,000 people | 1.1 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.35 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 1.5 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.97 per 1,000 people | 1.8 per 1,000 people | 2.1 per 1,000 people | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.37 per 1,000 people | 2.16 per 1,000 people | 2.46 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.76 per 1,000 people | 2.48 per 1,000 people | 3.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5 per 1,000 people | 3.29 per 1,000 people | 3.81 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.99 per 1,000 people | 3.9 per 1,000 people | 4.09 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Population ages 15-64, total 17.74 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 17.0% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total 5.00 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above 18.1% (2025)
- Age population, age 14, male, interpolated 169,722 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, female, interpolated 161,096 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 169,878 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, male, interpolated 170,044 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 168,944 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, female, interpolated 160,792 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is physicians in Australia?
- Physicians in Australia was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest physicians recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest physicians recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1 per 1,000 people in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for physicians?
- Australia ranks 29th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is physicians rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Physicians (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.