Medical doctors per 1,000 people in China
China: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 3.11 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
3.11 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 23.6%
World rank
57th
of 194 countries
All-time high
3.11 per 1,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
0.85 per 1,000 people
in 1971
Years of data
51
1965–2022
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in China, 1965–2022
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
China recorded 3.11 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2022. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 23.6% on the previous year and up 99.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in China peaked at 3.11 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.85 per 1,000 people, in 1971.
China ranks 57th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in China, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.07 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1966 | 0.96 per 1,000 people | -10.3% |
| 1967 | 0.94 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 0.91 per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 0.88 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1970 | 0.86 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 0.85 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 0.86 per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 0.89 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 0.92 per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 0.96 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 1 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.03 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 1.12 per 1,000 people | +8.7% |
| 1981 | 1.25 per 1,000 people | +11.6% |
| 1982 | 1.3 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 1.32 per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 1.33 per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 1.35 per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 1.37 per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.47 per 1,000 people | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 1.54 per 1,000 people | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.13 per 1,000 people | -26.6% |
| 1995 | 1.19 per 1,000 people | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 1.21 per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.21 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.24 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.26 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.28 per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.14 per 1,000 people | -11.2% |
| 2003 | 1.19 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 1.22 per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 1.24 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.27 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 1.29 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.34 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 1.42 per 1,000 people | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 1.46 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.49 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 1.56 per 1,000 people | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 1.66 per 1,000 people | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 1.71 per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8 per 1,000 people | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 1.89 per 1,000 people | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 2 per 1,000 people | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 2.12 per 1,000 people | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 2.25 per 1,000 people | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 2.38 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 2.52 per 1,000 people | +5.5% |
| 2022 | 3.11 per 1,000 people | +23.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3.11 per 1,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.84 per 1,000 people, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 3.11 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06 per 1,000 people, 2.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -26.6% | 1.54 per 1,000 people | 1.13 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.952 per 1,000 people | 0.88 per 1,000 people | 1.07 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.9433 per 1,000 people | 0.85 per 1,000 people | 1.12 per 1,000 people | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.37 per 1,000 people | 1.25 per 1,000 people | 1.54 per 1,000 people | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 1.13 per 1,000 people | 1.24 per 1,000 people | 6 |
| 2000s | 1.26 per 1,000 people | 1.14 per 1,000 people | 1.42 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.79 per 1,000 people | 1.46 per 1,000 people | 2.25 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.67 per 1,000 people | 2.38 per 1,000 people | 3.11 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
- 54 United Kingdom 3.3 per 1,000 people compare
- 55 France 3.28 per 1,000 people compare
- 56 Azerbaijan 3.19 per 1,000 people compare
- 58 Serbia 3.1 per 1,000 people compare
- 59 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.08 per 1,000 people compare
- 60 Qatar 3.02 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 China?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in China was 3.11 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.11 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.85 per 1,000 people in 1971.
- How does China rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- China ranks 57th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.
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