Medical doctors per 1,000 people in India

India: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.723 per 1,000 people in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
0.723 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 18.7%
World rank
131st
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.23 per 1,000 people
in 1991
All-time low
0.204 per 1,000 people
in 1975
Years of data
16
1960–2020

Medical doctors per 1,000 people in India, 1960–2020

0.250.50.7511.21960199020201960: 0.21 per 1,000 people1965: 0.205 per 1,000 people1970: 0.205 per 1,000 people1975: 0.204 per 1,000 people1980: 0.371 per 1,000 people1981: 0.27 per 1,000 people1984: 0.396 per 1,000 people1988: 0.407 per 1,000 people1991: 1.2 per 1,000 people2014: 0.715 per 1,000 people2015: 0.723 per 1,000 people2016: 0.748 per 1,000 people2017: 0.766 per 1,000 people2018: 0.84 per 1,000 people2019: 0.889 per 1,000 people2020: 0.723 per 1,000 people

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

India recorded 0.723 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2020.

That represents a change of down 18.7% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in India peaked at 1.23 per 1,000 people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.204 per 1,000 people, in 1975.

That places India 131st out of 194 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.2075 per 1,000 people 0.205 per 1,000 people 0.21 per 1,000 people 2
1970s 0.2045 per 1,000 people 0.204 per 1,000 people 0.205 per 1,000 people 2
1980s 0.361 per 1,000 people 0.27 per 1,000 people 0.407 per 1,000 people 4
1990s 1.23 per 1,000 people 1.23 per 1,000 people 1.23 per 1,000 people 1
2010s 0.7802 per 1,000 people 0.715 per 1,000 people 0.889 per 1,000 people 6
2020s 0.723 per 1,000 people 0.723 per 1,000 people 0.723 per 1,000 people 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 128 Bahrain 0.741 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 129 Morocco 0.74 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 130 Cape Verde 0.73 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 132 Bangladesh 0.722 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 133 Nicaragua 0.682 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 134 Egypt 0.671 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is medical doctors per 1,000 people in India?
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in India was 0.723 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 India?
The highest recorded value was 1.23 per 1,000 people in 1991.
What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 0.204 per 1,000 people in 1975.
How does India rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
India ranks 131st out of 194 countries with data for 2020.
Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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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About this data

Indicator
Medical doctors per 1,000 people
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 5,326 data points, 1960–2023
Last refreshed