Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.143 per 1,000 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia, 1960–2023
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
The most recent figure for medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia is 0.143 per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 36.2% on the previous year and up 472.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia peaked at 0.143 per 1,000 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.009 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
Ethiopia ranks 177th 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.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.009 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.014 per 1,000 people | +55.6% |
| 1970 | 0.012 per 1,000 people | -14.3% |
| 1975 | 0.012 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.011 per 1,000 people | -8.3% |
| 1981 | 0.011 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.013 per 1,000 people | +18.2% |
| 1988 | 0.031 per 1,000 people | +138.5% |
| 1994 | 0.029 per 1,000 people | -6.5% |
| 1996 | 0.025 per 1,000 people | -13.8% |
| 1997 | 0.023 per 1,000 people | -8.0% |
| 1998 | 0.021 per 1,000 people | -8.7% |
| 1999 | 0.02 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 0.021 per 1,000 people | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 0.028 per 1,000 people | +33.3% |
| 2002 | 0.029 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 0.026 per 1,000 people | -10.3% |
| 2004 | 0.026 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.031 per 1,000 people | +19.2% |
| 2006 | 0.026 per 1,000 people | -16.1% |
| 2007 | 0.022 per 1,000 people | -15.4% |
| 2008 | 0.024 per 1,000 people | +9.1% |
| 2009 | 0.025 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 0.075 per 1,000 people | +200.0% |
| 2019 | 0.089 per 1,000 people | +18.7% |
| 2020 | 0.102 per 1,000 people | +14.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 0.105 per 1,000 people | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 0.143 per 1,000 people | +36.2% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 0.143 per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1455 per 1,000 people, 98% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 0.143 per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.188 per 1,000 people, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia 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 | +200.0% | 0.025 per 1,000 people | 0.075 per 1,000 people |
| 1988 | +138.5% | 0.013 per 1,000 people | 0.031 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0115 per 1,000 people | 0.009 per 1,000 people | 0.014 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.012 per 1,000 people | 0.012 per 1,000 people | 0.012 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.0165 per 1,000 people | 0.011 per 1,000 people | 0.031 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 0.0236 per 1,000 people | 0.02 per 1,000 people | 0.029 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.0258 per 1,000 people | 0.021 per 1,000 people | 0.031 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.082 per 1,000 people | 0.075 per 1,000 people | 0.089 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.1125 per 1,000 people | 0.1 per 1,000 people | 0.143 per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 174 Vanuatu 0.164 per 1,000 people compare
- 175 Equatorial Guinea 0.153 per 1,000 people compare
- 176 Burkina Faso 0.148 per 1,000 people compare
- 178 Cameroon 0.136 per 1,000 people compare
- 178 Zimbabwe 0.136 per 1,000 people compare
- 180 Sierra Leone 0.134 per 1,000 people compare
- 180 Tanzania 0.134 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- 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 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Ethiopia was 0.143 per 1,000 people in 2023, 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.143 per 1,000 people in 2023.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.009 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Ethiopia rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Ethiopia ranks 177th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 472.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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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