Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Namibia
Namibia: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.553 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Namibia, 1991–2022
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 Namibia stood at 0.553 per 1,000 people.
That represents a change of up 31.7% on the previous year and up 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Namibia peaked at 0.567 per 1,000 people in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.231 per 1,000 people, in 1991.
Namibia ranks 137th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Namibia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.231 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1992 | 0.232 per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 0.295 per 1,000 people | +27.2% |
| 2004 | 0.308 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 0.383 per 1,000 people | +24.4% |
| 2017 | 0.567 per 1,000 people | +48.0% |
| 2018 | 0.335 per 1,000 people | -40.9% |
| 2019 | 0.368 per 1,000 people | +9.9% |
| 2020 | 0.38 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 0.42 per 1,000 people | +10.5% |
| 2022 | 0.553 per 1,000 people | +31.7% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 0.553 per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3555 per 1,000 people, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 0.553 per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.188 per 1,000 people, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2527 per 1,000 people | 0.231 per 1,000 people | 0.295 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.3455 per 1,000 people | 0.308 per 1,000 people | 0.383 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.4233 per 1,000 people | 0.335 per 1,000 people | 0.567 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.451 per 1,000 people | 0.38 per 1,000 people | 0.553 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More health data for Namibia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.75 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6445 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,046 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 561 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.83 % 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 0.0644 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.56 % 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 Namibia?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Namibia was 0.553 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.567 per 1,000 people in 2017.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.231 per 1,000 people in 1991.
- How does Namibia rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Namibia ranks 137th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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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