Physicians in South Korea
South Korea: Physicians was 2.61 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Physicians in South Korea, 1981–2022
Source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for physicians in South Korea is 2.61 per 1,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physicians in South Korea peaked at 2.61 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.5 per 1,000 people, in 1981.
That places South Korea 74th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6111 per 1,000 people | 0.5 per 1,000 people | 0.8 per 1,000 people | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.08 per 1,000 people | 0.812 per 1,000 people | 1.32 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.63 per 1,000 people | 1.3 per 1,000 people | 1.95 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.23 per 1,000 people | 2.02 per 1,000 people | 2.46 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.54 per 1,000 people | 2.51 per 1,000 people | 2.61 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 224,514 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, female, interpolated 226,850 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 243,678 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, female, interpolated 231,049 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, male, interpolated 234,551 (2025)
- Age population, age 12, female, interpolated 223,211 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, female, interpolated 214,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 10, female, interpolated 212,650 (2025)
- Age population, age 10, male, interpolated 222,946 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, male, interpolated 240,352 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is physicians in South Korea?
- Physicians in South Korea was 2.61 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest physicians recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.61 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest physicians recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5 per 1,000 people in 1981.
- How does South Korea rank for physicians?
- South Korea ranks 74th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is physicians rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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 — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.