Physicians in South Africa
South Africa: Physicians was 0.794 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Physicians in South Africa, 1965–2022
Source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.794 per 1,000 people for physicians in 2022. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physicians in South Africa peaked at 0.794 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.488 per 1,000 people, in 1965.
South Africa ranks 124th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.488 per 1,000 people | 0.488 per 1,000 people | 0.488 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.545 per 1,000 people | 0.539 per 1,000 people | 0.551 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.613 per 1,000 people | 0.613 per 1,000 people | 0.613 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.6085 per 1,000 people | 0.593 per 1,000 people | 0.624 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.6897 per 1,000 people | 0.679 per 1,000 people | 0.711 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.741 per 1,000 people | 0.705 per 1,000 people | 0.779 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7875 per 1,000 people | 0.781 per 1,000 people | 0.794 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 121 Micronesia (country) 0.974 per 1,000 people compare
- 122 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.938 per 1,000 people compare
- 123 Fiji 0.813 per 1,000 people compare
- 125 Philippines 0.792 per 1,000 people compare
- 126 Myanmar 0.757 per 1,000 people compare
- 127 East Timor 0.752 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for South Africa
- Age population, age 16, male, interpolated 547,322 (2025)
- Age population, age 19, female, interpolated 534,776 (2025)
- Age population, age 18, male, interpolated 548,575 (2025)
- Age population, age 18, female, interpolated 543,452 (2025)
- Age population, age 17, male, interpolated 548,879 (2025)
- Age population, age 17, female, interpolated 544,916 (2025)
- Age population, age 07, female, interpolated 547,095 (2025)
- Age dependency ratio 48.4% (2025)
- Population, female 33.24 million (2025)
- Age population, age 06, male, interpolated 570,920 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is physicians in South Africa?
- Physicians in South Africa was 0.794 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest physicians recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.794 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest physicians recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.488 per 1,000 people in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for physicians?
- South Africa ranks 124th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is physicians rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.