Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya
Kenya: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.289 per 1,000 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.289 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 22.5%
World rank
153rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
0.289 per 1,000 people
in 2023
All-time low
0.074 per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
22
1960–2023
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya, 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
In 2023, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya stood at 0.289 per 1,000 people. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 22.5% on the previous year and up 49.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya peaked at 0.289 per 1,000 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.074 per 1,000 people, in 2020.
That places Kenya 153rd out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.092 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.075 per 1,000 people | -18.5% |
| 1970 | 0.125 per 1,000 people | +66.7% |
| 1975 | 0.127 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 0.099 per 1,000 people | -22.0% |
| 1982 | 0.12 per 1,000 people | +21.2% |
| 1985 | 0.154 per 1,000 people | +28.3% |
| 1993 | 0.138 per 1,000 people | -10.4% |
| 1995 | 0.132 per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 0.138 per 1,000 people | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 0.169 per 1,000 people | +22.5% |
| 2009 | 0.171 per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 0.171 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.177 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 0.184 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.193 per 1,000 people | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 0.199 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 0.16 per 1,000 people | -19.6% |
| 2020 | 0.074 per 1,000 people | -53.8% |
| 2021 | 0.098 per 1,000 people | +32.4% |
| 2022 | 0.236 per 1,000 people | +140.8% |
| 2023 | 0.289 per 1,000 people | +22.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.289 per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3555 per 1,000 people, 81% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.289 per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.188 per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0835 per 1,000 people | 0.075 per 1,000 people | 0.092 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.126 per 1,000 people | 0.125 per 1,000 people | 0.127 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.1243 per 1,000 people | 0.099 per 1,000 people | 0.154 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 0.135 per 1,000 people | 0.132 per 1,000 people | 0.138 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.1593 per 1,000 people | 0.138 per 1,000 people | 0.171 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.1807 per 1,000 people | 0.16 per 1,000 people | 0.199 per 1,000 people | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.1742 per 1,000 people | 0.074 per 1,000 people | 0.289 per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 150 Zambia 0.324 per 1,000 people compare
- 151 Afghanistan 0.317 per 1,000 people compare
- 152 Haiti 0.292 per 1,000 people compare
- 154 Ghana 0.266 per 1,000 people compare
- 155 Mauritania 0.261 per 1,000 people compare
- 156 Guinea-Bissau 0.252 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 0.0621 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 Kenya?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Kenya was 0.289 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.289 per 1,000 people in 2023.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.074 per 1,000 people in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Kenya ranks 153rd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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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