Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador
Ecuador: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 2.31 per 1,000 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador, 1960–2020
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
Ecuador recorded 2.31 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 80.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador peaked at 2.34 per 1,000 people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.335 per 1,000 people, in 1965.
That places Ecuador 81st out of 194 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.396 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.335 per 1,000 people | -15.4% |
| 1970 | 0.348 per 1,000 people | +3.9% |
| 1975 | 0.351 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 0.637 per 1,000 people | +81.5% |
| 1990 | 0.934 per 1,000 people | +46.6% |
| 1991 | 1.14 per 1,000 people | +22.1% |
| 1992 | 1.18 per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 1.09 per 1,000 people | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 1.25 per 1,000 people | +15.2% |
| 1995 | 1.23 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 1.3 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 1.32 per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.31 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 1.37 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 0.812 per 1,000 people | -40.7% |
| 2001 | 0.851 per 1,000 people | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 0.849 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.808 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 0.884 per 1,000 people | +9.4% |
| 2005 | 0.902 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.895 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 0.978 per 1,000 people | +9.3% |
| 2008 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +12.1% |
| 2009 | 1.22 per 1,000 people | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 1.28 per 1,000 people | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 1.38 per 1,000 people | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 1.56 per 1,000 people | +13.0% |
| 2013 | 1.65 per 1,000 people | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 1.68 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.81 per 1,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 2.06 per 1,000 people | +13.8% |
| 2017 | 2.23 per 1,000 people | +8.3% |
| 2018 | 2.34 per 1,000 people | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.32 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 2.31 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 2.31 per 1,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.84 per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 2.31 per 1,000 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.9 per 1,000 people, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +81.5% | 0.351 per 1,000 people | 0.637 per 1,000 people |
| 2000 | -40.7% | 1.37 per 1,000 people | 0.812 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3655 per 1,000 people | 0.335 per 1,000 people | 0.396 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.4453 per 1,000 people | 0.348 per 1,000 people | 0.637 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.21 per 1,000 people | 0.934 per 1,000 people | 1.37 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9291 per 1,000 people | 0.808 per 1,000 people | 1.22 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.83 per 1,000 people | 1.28 per 1,000 people | 2.34 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.31 per 1,000 people | 2.31 per 1,000 people | 2.31 per 1,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More health data for Ecuador
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6766 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,324 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 354 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.67 % 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 0.0362 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.67 % 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 Ecuador?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ecuador was 2.31 per 1,000 people in 2020, 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 2.34 per 1,000 people in 2018.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.335 per 1,000 people in 1965.
- How does Ecuador rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Ecuador ranks 81st out of 194 countries with data for 2020.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador 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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