Medical doctors in Kenya

Kenya: Medical doctors was 14,662 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
14,662
Change on year
down 8.3%
World rank
85th
of 187 countries
All-time high
15,994
in 2023
All-time low
3,887
in 2020
Years of data
14
2002–2024

Medical doctors in Kenya, 2002–2024

5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k15.0k2002201320242002: 4.5k2008: 6.6k2009: 6.9k2010: 7.1k2011: 7.5k2012: 8.1k2013: 8.7k2014: 9.1k2018: 8.0k2020: 3.9k2021: 5.2k2022: 12.8k2023: 16.0k2024: 14.7k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2024, medical doctors in Kenya stood at 14,662.

The figure is down 8.3% on the previous year and up 60.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, medical doctors in Kenya peaked at 15,994 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3,887, in 2020.

That places Kenya 85th out of 187 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Medical doctors in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Medical doctors (number) in Kenya, 2002 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2002 4,506 —
2008 6,623 +47.0%
2009 6,897 +4.1%
2010 7,129 +3.4%
2011 7,549 +5.9%
2012 8,092 +7.2%
2013 8,682 +7.3%
2014 9,149 +5.4%
2018 8,042 -12.1%
2020 3,887 -51.7%
2021 5,203 +33.9%
2022 12,792 +145.9%
2023 15,994 +25.0%
2024 14,662 -8.3%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 14,662 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3,472, 4.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 14,662 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2,289, 6.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Medical doctors in Kenya 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
2022 +145.9% 5,203 12,792

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6,009 4,506 6,897 3
2010s 8,107 7,129 9,149 6
2020s 10,508 3,887 15,994 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 82 Bolivia 15,326 compare
  2. 83 Lebanon 15,282 compare
  3. 84 Tunisia 15,108 compare
  4. 86 Turkmenistan 14,222 compare
  5. 87 Libya 13,757 compare
  6. 88 Costa Rica 13,656 compare

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More health data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is medical doctors in Kenya?
Medical doctors in Kenya was 14,662 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest medical doctors recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 15,994 in 2023.
What is the lowest medical doctors recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 3,887 in 2020.
How does Kenya rank for medical doctors?
Kenya ranks 85th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
Is medical doctors rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is up 60.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

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

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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