Dentists in Australia

Australia: Dentists was 17,251 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
17,251
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
31st
of 178 countries
All-time high
17,251
in 2023
All-time low
6,283
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2023

Dentists in Australia, 1980–2023

05.0k10.0k15.0k1980200120231980: 6.3k1981: 6.4k1982: 6.5k1983: 6.6k1984: 6.7k1985: 6.8k1986: 6.9k1987: 7.0k1988: 7.1k1989: 7.2k1990: 7.2k1991: 7.3k1992: 7.5k1993: 7.6k1994: 7.8k1995: 8.3k1996: 8.5k1997: 8.6k1998: 8.8k1999: 8.9k2000: 8.7k2001: 9.2k2002: 9.4k2003: 9.3k2004: 10.0k2005: 10.1k2006: 10.0k2009: 11.5k2010: 11.5k2011: 12.1k2012: 12.8k2013: 13.0k2014: 13.5k2015: 13.8k2016: 14.2k2017: 14.6k2018: 15.0k2019: 15.5k2020: 15.7k2021: 16.1k2022: 16.8k2023: 17.3k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2023, dentists in Australia stood at 17,251. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 32.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, dentists in Australia peaked at 17,251 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 6,283, in 1980.

That places Australia 31st out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Dentists in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Dentists (number) in Australia, 1980 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1980 6,283 —
1981 6,380 +1.5%
1982 6,516 +2.1%
1983 6,631 +1.8%
1984 6,722 +1.4%
1985 6,805 +1.2%
1986 6,897 +1.4%
1987 6,977 +1.2%
1988 7,076 +1.4%
1989 7,178 +1.4%
1990 7,221 +0.6%
1991 7,275 +0.7%
1992 7,493 +3.0%
1993 7,618 +1.7%
1994 7,784 +2.2%
1995 8,278 +6.3%
1996 8,534 +3.1%
1997 8,584 +0.6%
1998 8,767 +2.1%
1999 8,879 +1.3%
2000 8,691 -2.1%
2001 9,205 +5.9%
2002 9,356 +1.6%
2003 9,328 -0.3%
2004 10,041 +7.6%
2005 10,074 +0.3%
2006 10,001 -0.7%
2009 11,455 +14.5%
2010 11,473 +0.2%
2011 12,062 +5.1%
2012 12,767 +5.8%
2013 13,049 +2.2%
2014 13,472 +3.2%
2015 13,843 +2.8%
2016 14,205 +2.6%
2017 14,620 +2.9%
2018 14,981 +2.5%
2019 15,517 +3.6%
2020 15,667 +1.0%
2021 16,097 +2.7%
2022 16,782 +4.3%
2023 17,251 +2.8%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 17,251 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,829, 4.5× the median. (61 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 17,251 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 566, 30.5× the median. (26 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6,746 6,283 7,178 10
1990s 8,043 7,221 8,879 10
2000s 9,769 8,691 11,455 8
2010s 13,599 11,473 15,517 10
2020s 16,449 15,667 17,251 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 28 Mexico 18,056 compare
  2. 29 Cuba 17,657 compare
  3. 30 Malaysia 17,318 compare
  4. 32 Algeria 16,222 compare
  5. 33 Greece 13,916 compare
  6. 34 Bangladesh 12,940 compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is dentists in Australia?
Dentists in Australia was 17,251 in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest dentists recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 17,251 in 2023.
What is the lowest dentists recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 6,283 in 1980.
How does Australia rank for dentists?
Australia ranks 31st out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is dentists rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Dentists (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Dentists in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/dentists-number/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Dentists (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
179 places, 3,761 data points, 1971–2024
Last refreshed