Physicians per 1000 people in Canada
Canada: Physicians per 1000 people was 2.82 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.82
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
68th
of 194 countries
All-time high
2.82
in 2023
All-time low
1.1
in 1961
Years of data
57
1961–2023
Physicians per 1000 people in Canada, 1961–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, physicians per 1000 people in Canada stood at 2.82. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, physicians per 1000 people in Canada peaked at 2.82 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.1, in 1961.
That places Canada 68th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Physicians per 1000 people in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.1 | — |
| 1962 | 1.2 | +9.1% |
| 1963 | 1.3 | +8.3% |
| 1964 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.4 | +7.7% |
| 1970 | 1.4 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.5 | +7.1% |
| 1972 | 1.6 | +6.7% |
| 1973 | 1.6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.7 | +6.2% |
| 1976 | 1.7 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.7 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.8 | +5.9% |
| 1979 | 1.8 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.8 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.8 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.9 | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 1.9 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.9 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2 | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.1 | +5.0% |
| 1988 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.2 | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 2.1 | -4.5% |
| 1995 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.86 | -11.4% |
| 1999 | 2.1 | +12.8% |
| 2001 | 1.89 | -10.1% |
| 2002 | 1.9 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.91 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 1.96 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 2.04 | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 2.4 | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 2.45 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 2.5 | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 2.54 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 2.31 | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 2.61 | +13.0% |
| 2018 | 2.41 | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 2.42 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.42 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 2.44 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 2.81 | +15.1% |
| 2023 | 2.82 | +0.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 2.82 is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.59, 78% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.28 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.64 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.96 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.09 | 1.86 | 2.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.91 | 1.89 | 1.96 | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.41 | 2.04 | 2.61 | 9 |
| 2020s | 2.62 | 2.42 | 2.82 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 65 Antigua and Barbuda 2.92 compare
- 66 Jordan 2.85 compare
- 67 Singapore 2.83 compare
- 69 Uzbekistan 2.81 compare
- 70 Montenegro 2.78 compare
- 71 Costa Rica 2.69 compare
More health data for Canada
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3588 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 385 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5214 % 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 0.023 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.5024 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0242 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is physicians per 1000 people in Canada?
- Physicians per 1000 people in Canada was 2.82 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest physicians per 1000 people recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2.82 in 2023.
- What is the lowest physicians per 1000 people recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1 in 1961.
- How does Canada rank for physicians per 1000 people?
- Canada ranks 68th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is physicians per 1000 people rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Physicians per 1000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).