What is the difference in physicians between Costa Rica and Japan?

0.04 per 1,000 people, with Costa Rica ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Japan?

18 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.

Where does this data come from?

Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as Physicians (per 1,000 people). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Costa Rica vs Japan: Physicians

Costa Rica

2.69 per 1,000 people

in 2022

Japan

2.65 per 1,000 people

in 2022

Costa Rica rank

71st

Japan rank

73rd

Physicians over time

Costa Rica
Japan

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 2.69 per 1,000 people against 2.65 per 1,000 people in Japan, a difference of 0.04 per 1,000 people.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 18 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Japan ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 71st and Japan ranks 73rd of 194 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Costa Rica	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1960s	0.454 per 1,000 people	1 per 1,000 people	0.546 per 1,000 people	Japan
1970s	0.6465 per 1,000 people	1.15 per 1,000 people	0.5035 per 1,000 people	Japan
1990s	0.9675 per 1,000 people	1.79 per 1,000 people	0.8193 per 1,000 people	Japan
2000s	1.85 per 1,000 people	2.05 per 1,000 people	0.205 per 1,000 people	Japan
2010s	2.33 per 1,000 people	2.35 per 1,000 people	0.0204 per 1,000 people	Japan
2020s	2.59 per 1,000 people	2.62 per 1,000 people	0.03 per 1,000 people	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher physicians, Costa Rica or Japan?: Costa Rica, at 2.69 per 1,000 people against 2.65 per 1,000 people in Japan as of 2022.
What is the difference in physicians between Costa Rica and Japan?: 0.04 per 1,000 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Japan?: 18 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.
How do Costa Rica and Japan rank globally for physicians?: Costa Rica ranks 71st and Japan ranks 73rd of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as Physicians (per 1,000 people). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs Japan: Physicians. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/physicians-per-1-000-people/costa-rica/japan/

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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: 20 August 2026

Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.