Physicians in United States

United States: Physicians was 3.68 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
3.68 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
39th
of 194 countries
All-time high
3.68 per 1,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
1.1 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
28
1960–2022

Physicians in United States, 1960–2022

12341960199120221960: 1.1 per 1,000 people1965: 1.2 per 1,000 people1970: 1.2 per 1,000 people1975: 1.3 per 1,000 people1976: 1.3 per 1,000 people1977: 1.3 per 1,000 people1978: 1.4 per 1,000 people1979: 1.4 per 1,000 people1980: 1.5 per 1,000 people1981: 1.5 per 1,000 people1982: 1.6 per 1,000 people1983: 1.6 per 1,000 people1986: 1.7 per 1,000 people1987: 1.8 per 1,000 people1988: 1.8 per 1,000 people1989: 1.8 per 1,000 people1990: 1.8 per 1,000 people1991: 1.9 per 1,000 people1992: 1.9 per 1,000 people1993: 1.9 per 1,000 people1995: 2.4 per 1,000 people2000: 2.6 per 1,000 people2004: 2.7 per 1,000 people2018: 2.5 per 1,000 people2019: 3.5 per 1,000 people2020: 3.5 per 1,000 people2021: 3.6 per 1,000 people2022: 3.7 per 1,000 people

Source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.

Analysis

United States recorded 3.68 per 1,000 people for physicians in 2022. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 44.5% over five years.

Over the whole period, physicians in United States peaked at 3.68 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.1 per 1,000 people, in 1960.

That places United States 39th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.15 per 1,000 people 1.1 per 1,000 people 1.2 per 1,000 people 2
1970s 1.32 per 1,000 people 1.2 per 1,000 people 1.4 per 1,000 people 6
1980s 1.66 per 1,000 people 1.5 per 1,000 people 1.8 per 1,000 people 8
1990s 1.98 per 1,000 people 1.8 per 1,000 people 2.41 per 1,000 people 5
2000s 2.65 per 1,000 people 2.6 per 1,000 people 2.71 per 1,000 people 2
2010s 3.02 per 1,000 people 2.55 per 1,000 people 3.48 per 1,000 people 2
2020s 3.59 per 1,000 people 3.52 per 1,000 people 3.68 per 1,000 people 3

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 36 Israel 3.8 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 37 Kazakhstan 3.75 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 38 Slovakia 3.7 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 40 North Korea 3.63 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 41 Romania 3.62 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 42 New Zealand 3.61 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is physicians in United States?
Physicians in United States was 3.68 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest physicians recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 3.68 per 1,000 people in 2022.
What is the lowest physicians recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 1.1 per 1,000 people in 1960.
How does United States rank for physicians?
United States ranks 39th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Where does this United States 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.

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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Physicians (per 1,000 people)
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
194 places, 5,326 data points, 1960–2023
Last refreshed

Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.