Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia
Australia: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.09 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
29th
of 194 countries
All-time high
4.09 per 1,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
1.1 per 1,000 people
in 1961
Years of data
44
1961–2022
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia, 1961–2022
Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Australia recorded 4.09 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2022. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia peaked at 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.1 per 1,000 people, in 1961.
Australia ranks 29th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1966 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1971 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.5 per 1,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1981 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1984 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.9 per 1,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 2 per 1,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.16 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 2.33 per 1,000 people | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 2.36 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 2.39 per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 2.42 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 2.46 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 2.39 per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 2.39 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.39 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.43 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 2.48 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 2.55 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 2.55 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 2.62 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 2.69 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 2.76 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 2.83 per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 2.99 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 3 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.1 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 3.35 per 1,000 people | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 3.3 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 3.29 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.36 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.43 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 3.49 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 3.56 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 3.66 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 3.73 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 3.81 per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 3.9 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 3.98 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 4.09 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 4.09 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.59 per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 4.09 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06 per 1,000 people, 3.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +25.0% | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 1.5 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.15 per 1,000 people | 1.1 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.35 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 1.5 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.97 per 1,000 people | 1.8 per 1,000 people | 2.1 per 1,000 people | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.37 per 1,000 people | 2.16 per 1,000 people | 2.46 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.76 per 1,000 people | 2.48 per 1,000 people | 3.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5 per 1,000 people | 3.29 per 1,000 people | 3.81 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.99 per 1,000 people | 3.9 per 1,000 people | 4.09 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Australia was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.09 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1 per 1,000 people in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Australia ranks 29th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. 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 Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Medical doctors per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).