Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Zambia
Zambia: Physicians (per 1,000 people) was 0.324 per 1,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Physicians in Zambia, 1960–2022
Source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for physicians in Zambia is 0.324 per 1,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% on the previous year and up 440.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physicians in Zambia peaked at 0.324 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.054 per 1,000 people, in 2006.
Zambia ranks 150th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.107 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.088 per 1,000 people | -17.8% |
| 1970 | 0.073 per 1,000 people | -17.0% |
| 1975 | 0.074 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 0.076 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 0.126 per 1,000 people | +65.8% |
| 1983 | 0.14 per 1,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1985 | 0.141 per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 0.092 per 1,000 people | -34.8% |
| 1995 | 0.069 per 1,000 people | -25.0% |
| 2004 | 0.132 per 1,000 people | +91.3% |
| 2005 | 0.055 per 1,000 people | -58.3% |
| 2006 | 0.054 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.061 per 1,000 people | +13.0% |
| 2009 | 0.059 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 0.06 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.09 per 1,000 people | +50.0% |
| 2018 | 0.224 per 1,000 people | +148.9% |
| 2019 | 0.237 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 0.253 per 1,000 people | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 0.295 per 1,000 people | +16.6% |
| 2022 | 0.324 per 1,000 people | +9.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 0.324 per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3555 per 1,000 people, 91% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 0.324 per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.188 per 1,000 people, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Physicians (per 1,000 people) in Zambia 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +148.9% | 0.09 per 1,000 people | 0.224 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0975 per 1,000 people | 0.088 per 1,000 people | 0.107 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.0735 per 1,000 people | 0.073 per 1,000 people | 0.074 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.1207 per 1,000 people | 0.076 per 1,000 people | 0.141 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 0.0805 per 1,000 people | 0.069 per 1,000 people | 0.092 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.0722 per 1,000 people | 0.054 per 1,000 people | 0.132 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.1527 per 1,000 people | 0.06 per 1,000 people | 0.237 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.2907 per 1,000 people | 0.253 per 1,000 people | 0.324 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 8,894 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0744 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is physicians in Zambia?
- Physicians in Zambia was 0.324 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest physicians recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.324 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest physicians recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.054 per 1,000 people in 2006.
- How does Zambia rank for physicians?
- Zambia ranks 150th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is physicians rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 440.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Physicians (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.