What is the difference in physicians between Iceland and Sweden?

0.04 per 1,000 people, with Sweden ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Sweden?

62 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2021.

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.

Iceland vs Sweden: Physicians

Iceland

4.37 per 1,000 people

in 2023

Sweden

4.41 per 1,000 people

in 2021

Iceland rank

21st

Sweden rank

20th

Physicians over time

Iceland
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 4.41 per 1,000 people against 4.37 per 1,000 people in Iceland, a difference of 0.04 per 1,000 people.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Iceland ahead.

Iceland ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 20th of 194 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iceland	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1960s	1.22 per 1,000 people	1.1 per 1,000 people	0.12 per 1,000 people	Iceland
1970s	1.74 per 1,000 people	1.67 per 1,000 people	0.07 per 1,000 people	Iceland
1980s	2.47 per 1,000 people	2.56 per 1,000 people	0.09 per 1,000 people	Sweden
1990s	3.07 per 1,000 people	3.17 per 1,000 people	0.0997 per 1,000 people	Sweden
2000s	3.64 per 1,000 people	3.41 per 1,000 people	0.2347 per 1,000 people	Iceland
2010s	3.72 per 1,000 people	4.11 per 1,000 people	0.3921 per 1,000 people	Sweden
2020s	4.35 per 1,000 people	4.37 per 1,000 people	0.0175 per 1,000 people	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher physicians, Iceland or Sweden?: Sweden, at 4.41 per 1,000 people against 4.37 per 1,000 people in Iceland as of 2021.
What is the difference in physicians between Iceland and Sweden?: 0.04 per 1,000 people, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Sweden?: 62 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2021.
How do Iceland and Sweden rank globally for physicians?: Iceland ranks 21st and Sweden ranks 20th 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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Iceland vs Sweden: Physicians. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/physicians-per-1-000-people/iceland/sweden/

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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.