Medical doctors in India

India: Medical doctors was 1.39 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.39 million
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
2nd
of 187 countries
All-time high
1.39 million
in 2024
All-time low
459,676
in 1995
Years of data
31
1991–2024

Medical doctors in India, 1991–2024

400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1.2M1.4M1991200720241991: 1.1M1995: 459.7k1996: 477.6k1997: 496.9k1998: 515.2k1999: 536.0k2000: 555.5k2001: 587.2k2002: 608.9k2003: 631.3k2004: 644.0k2005: 675.4k2006: 700.7k2007: 731.4k2008: 761.4k2009: 793.3k2010: 827.0k2011: 922.2k2012: 883.8k2013: 918.3k2014: 938.9k2015: 960.2k2016: 1.0M2017: 1.0M2018: 1.2M2019: 1.2M2020: 1.3M2021: 1.3M2022: 1.3M2023: 1.3M2024: 1.4M

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

The most recent figure for medical doctors in India is 1.39 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 47.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, medical doctors in India peaked at 1.39 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 459,676, in 1995.

That places India 2nd out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Medical doctors in India, year by year

Annual values for Medical doctors (number) in India, 1991 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1991 1.09 million —
1995 459,676 -57.8%
1996 477,610 +3.9%
1997 496,941 +4.0%
1998 515,189 +3.7%
1999 535,993 +4.0%
2000 555,550 +3.6%
2001 587,170 +5.7%
2002 608,857 +3.7%
2003 631,282 +3.7%
2004 643,964 +2.0%
2005 675,375 +4.9%
2006 700,699 +3.7%
2007 731,439 +4.4%
2008 761,429 +4.1%
2009 793,305 +4.2%
2010 827,006 +4.2%
2011 922,177 +11.5%
2012 883,812 -4.2%
2013 918,303 +3.9%
2014 938,861 +2.2%
2015 960,233 +2.3%
2016 1.01 million +4.7%
2017 1.04 million +3.6%
2018 1.15 million +10.9%
2019 1.23 million +6.9%
2020 1.27 million +2.8%
2021 1.30 million +2.5%
2022 1.31 million +0.6%
2023 1.35 million +3.2%
2024 1.39 million +2.7%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 1.39 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3,472, 399.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
  • India's 1.39 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 29,172, 47.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Medical doctors in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1995 -57.8% 1.09 million 459,676

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 595,576 459,676 1.09 million 6
2000s 668,907 555,550 793,305 10
2010s 988,596 827,006 1.23 million 10
2020s 1.32 million 1.27 million 1.39 million 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 China 4.01 million compare
  2. 3 United States 906,427 compare
  3. 4 Russia 744,100 compare
  4. 5 Brazil 529,672 compare

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is medical doctors in India?
Medical doctors in India was 1.39 million in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest medical doctors recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 1.39 million in 2024.
What is the lowest medical doctors recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 459,676 in 1995.
How does India rank for medical doctors?
India ranks 2nd out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
Is medical doctors rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 47.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Medical doctors (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

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Medical doctors in India. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/medical-doctors-number/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Medical doctors (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
189 places, 4,297 data points, 1971–2024
Last refreshed