Pharmacists in Australia

Australia: Pharmacists was 25,339 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
25,339
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
26th
of 166 countries
All-time high
25,339
in 2023
All-time low
9,000
in 1990
Years of data
38
1986–2023

Pharmacists in Australia, 1986–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k1986200420231986: 11.0k1987: 10.3k1988: 15.5k1989: 12.3k1990: 9.0k1991: 11.8k1992: 10.1k1993: 10.2k1994: 10.6k1995: 10.7k1996: 11.1k1997: 11.4k1998: 11.6k1999: 11.8k2000: 15.3k2001: 12.6k2002: 12.9k2003: 15.7k2004: 18.4k2005: 14.9k2006: 16.3k2007: 18.2k2008: 19.1k2009: 23.3k2010: 19.2k2011: 15.2k2012: 17.1k2013: 19.1k2014: 19.7k2015: 20.3k2016: 21.0k2017: 21.7k2018: 22.1k2019: 22.6k2020: 23.4k2021: 24.0k2022: 24.5k2023: 25.3k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2023, pharmacists in Australia stood at 25,339. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pharmacists in Australia peaked at 25,339 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9,000, in 1990.

Australia ranks 26th of 166 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Pharmacists in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Pharmacists (number) in Australia, 1986 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1986 11,000 —
1987 10,300 -6.4%
1988 15,500 +50.5%
1989 12,300 -20.6%
1990 9,000 -26.8%
1991 11,800 +31.1%
1992 10,111 -14.3%
1993 10,193 +0.8%
1994 10,639 +4.4%
1995 10,722 +0.8%
1996 11,126 +3.8%
1997 11,360 +2.1%
1998 11,600 +2.1%
1999 11,829 +2.0%
2000 15,300 +29.3%
2001 12,600 -17.6%
2002 12,900 +2.4%
2003 15,700 +21.7%
2004 18,400 +17.2%
2005 14,900 -19.0%
2006 16,300 +9.4%
2007 18,200 +11.7%
2008 19,100 +4.9%
2009 23,300 +22.0%
2010 19,237 -17.4%
2011 15,222 -20.9%
2012 17,097 +12.3%
2013 19,148 +12.0%
2014 19,655 +2.6%
2015 20,281 +3.2%
2016 20,960 +3.3%
2017 21,656 +3.3%
2018 22,063 +1.9%
2019 22,599 +2.4%
2020 23,446 +3.7%
2021 24,028 +2.5%
2022 24,544 +2.1%
2023 25,339 +3.2%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 25,339 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5,945, 4.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 25,339 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,162, 6.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Pharmacists in Australia 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
1988 +50.5% 10,300 15,500
1990 -26.8% 12,300 9,000
1991 +31.1% 9,000 11,800
2000 +29.3% 11,829 15,300

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 12,275 10,300 15,500 4
1990s 10,838 9,000 11,829 10
2000s 16,670 12,600 23,300 10
2010s 19,792 15,222 22,599 10
2020s 24,339 23,446 25,339 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 23 Iran 30,427 compare
  2. 24 Poland 28,635 compare
  3. 25 Argentina 26,314 compare
  4. 27 Jordan 24,378 compare
  5. 28 Malaysia 22,869 compare
  6. 29 Romania 21,664 compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is pharmacists in Australia?
Pharmacists in Australia was 25,339 in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest pharmacists recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 25,339 in 2023.
What is the lowest pharmacists recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 9,000 in 1990.
How does Australia rank for pharmacists?
Australia ranks 26th out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
Is pharmacists rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. 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 Pharmacists (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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About this data

Indicator
Pharmacists (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
167 places, 3,402 data points, 1971–2024
Last refreshed