What is the difference in physicians between New Zealand and United States?

0.07 per 1,000 people, with United States ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United States?

24 years are reported by both, from 1976 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.

New Zealand vs United States: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

New Zealand

3.61 per 1,000 people

in 2022

United States

3.68 per 1,000 people

in 2022

New Zealand rank

42nd

United States rank

39th

Physicians (per 1,000 people) over time

New Zealand
United States

How they compare

United States currently reports 3.68 per 1,000 people against 3.61 per 1,000 people in New Zealand, a difference of 0.07 per 1,000 people.

The two have swapped places 12 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1976 it was United States ahead.

New Zealand ranks 42nd and United States ranks 39th of 194 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 3 and United States in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade	New Zealand	United States	Difference	Ahead
1970s	1.4 per 1,000 people	1.35 per 1,000 people	0.05 per 1,000 people	New Zealand
1980s	1.74 per 1,000 people	1.66 per 1,000 people	0.075 per 1,000 people	New Zealand
1990s	1.93 per 1,000 people	1.98 per 1,000 people	0.0562 per 1,000 people	United States
2000s	2.21 per 1,000 people	2.65 per 1,000 people	0.442 per 1,000 people	United States
2010s	3.34 per 1,000 people	3.02 per 1,000 people	0.3255 per 1,000 people	New Zealand
2020s	3.53 per 1,000 people	3.59 per 1,000 people	0.0633 per 1,000 people	United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher physicians, New Zealand or United States?: United States, at 3.68 per 1,000 people against 3.61 per 1,000 people in New Zealand as of 2022.
What is the difference in physicians between New Zealand and United States?: 0.07 per 1,000 people, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United States?: 24 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2022.
How do New Zealand and United States rank globally for physicians?: New Zealand ranks 42nd and United States ranks 39th 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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New Zealand vs United States: Physicians. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/physicians-per-1-000-people/new-zealand/united-states/

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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: 29 October 2026

Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.