Pharmacists in India

India: Pharmacists was 1.76 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1.76 million
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
1st
of 166 countries
All-time high
1.76 million
in 2024
All-time low
177,333
in 1991
Years of data
19
1991–2024

Pharmacists in India, 1991–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1991200720241991: 177.3k2003: 559.4k2006: 578.2k2007: 681.7k2008: 681.7k2009: 655.8k2010: 656.1k2011: 657.2k2012: 630.8k2013: 643.3k2014: 664.2k2016: 741.5k2017: 907.1k2018: 1.2M2020: 1.2M2021: 1.3M2022: 1.7M2023: 1.8M2024: 1.8M

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2024, pharmacists in India stood at 1.76 million. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 164.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pharmacists in India peaked at 1.76 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 177,333, in 1991.

That places India 1st out of 166 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Pharmacists in India, year by year

Annual values for Pharmacists (number) in India, 1991 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1991 177,333 —
2003 559,408 +215.5%
2006 578,179 +3.4%
2007 681,692 +17.9%
2008 681,692 +0.0%
2009 655,801 -3.8%
2010 656,101 +0.0%
2011 657,230 +0.2%
2012 630,766 -4.0%
2013 643,301 +2.0%
2014 664,176 +3.2%
2016 741,548 +11.6%
2017 907,132 +22.3%
2018 1.20 million +32.2%
2020 1.20 million +0.1%
2021 1.33 million +11.1%
2022 1.71 million +28.4%
2023 1.76 million +2.5%
2024 1.76 million +0.0%

India compared with similar countries

  • India's 1.76 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 800, 2197.6× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • India's 1.76 million is above the median for South Asia, which is 4,965, 354.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Pharmacists 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
2003 +215.5% 177,333 559,408

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 177,333 177,333 177,333 1
2000s 631,354 559,408 681,692 5
2010s 762,472 630,766 1.20 million 8
2020s 1.55 million 1.20 million 1.76 million 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 2 China 569,481 compare
  2. 3 United States 328,870 compare
  3. 4 Japan 253,198 compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is pharmacists in India?
Pharmacists in India was 1.76 million in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest pharmacists recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 1.76 million in 2024.
What is the lowest pharmacists recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 177,333 in 1991.
How does India rank for pharmacists?
India ranks 1st out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
Is pharmacists rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 164.7%. 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 Pharmacists (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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

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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