Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan
Japan: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 2.65 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
2.65 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
73rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
2.65 per 1,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
1 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
39
1960–2022
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan, 1960–2022
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
In 2022, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan stood at 2.65 per 1,000 people. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan peaked at 2.65 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
That places Japan 73rd out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1970 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.1 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.3 per 1,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1985 | 1.5 per 1,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1990 | 1.65 per 1,000 people | +10.2% |
| 1992 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 1.77 per 1,000 people | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 1.84 per 1,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 1.89 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 1.93 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.98 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.03 per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 2.08 per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 2.15 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 2.21 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 2.28 per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 2.35 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 2.42 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 2.48 per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 2.59 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 2.65 per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 2.65 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.59 per 1,000 people, 74% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Japan's 2.65 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06 per 1,000 people, 2.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.01 per 1,000 people | 1 per 1,000 people | 1.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.13 per 1,000 people | 1.1 per 1,000 people | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4 per 1,000 people | 1.3 per 1,000 people | 1.5 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.77 per 1,000 people | 1.65 per 1,000 people | 1.89 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.03 per 1,000 people | 1.93 per 1,000 people | 2.15 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.35 per 1,000 people | 2.21 per 1,000 people | 2.48 per 1,000 people | 5 |
| 2020s | 2.62 per 1,000 people | 2.59 per 1,000 people | 2.65 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 70 Montenegro 2.78 per 1,000 people compare
- 71 Costa Rica 2.69 per 1,000 people compare
- 72 Lebanon 2.68 per 1,000 people compare
- 74 South Korea 2.61 per 1,000 people compare
- 75 Mexico 2.59 per 1,000 people compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.58 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.22 % 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 0.0155 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.36 % 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 Japan?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Japan was 2.65 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.65 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Japan rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Japan ranks 73rd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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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