Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.682 per 1,000 people in 2018. ▲ Rising
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua, 1960–2018
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
Nicaragua recorded 0.682 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2018.
That represents a change of down 31.8% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua peaked at 1 per 1,000 people in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.34 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
That places Nicaragua 133rd out of 194 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.34 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.378 per 1,000 people | +11.2% |
| 1970 | 0.453 per 1,000 people | +19.8% |
| 1975 | 0.46 per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 0.416 per 1,000 people | -9.6% |
| 1981 | 0.426 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 0.637 per 1,000 people | +49.5% |
| 1988 | 0.471 per 1,000 people | -26.1% |
| 1990 | 0.657 per 1,000 people | +39.5% |
| 1995 | 0.82 per 1,000 people | +24.8% |
| 1997 | 0.856 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 0.392 per 1,000 people | -54.2% |
| 2005 | 0.509 per 1,000 people | +29.8% |
| 2006 | 0.501 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.535 per 1,000 people | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 0.659 per 1,000 people | +23.2% |
| 2009 | 0.714 per 1,000 people | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 0.739 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 0.825 per 1,000 people | +11.6% |
| 2012 | 0.872 per 1,000 people | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 0.91 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 0.906 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.942 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 0.965 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 1 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 0.682 per 1,000 people | -31.8% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 0.682 per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3555 per 1,000 people, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 0.682 per 1,000 people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.9 per 1,000 people, 36% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | -54.2% | 0.856 per 1,000 people | 0.392 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.359 per 1,000 people | 0.34 per 1,000 people | 0.378 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.4565 per 1,000 people | 0.453 per 1,000 people | 0.46 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.4875 per 1,000 people | 0.416 per 1,000 people | 0.637 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 0.7777 per 1,000 people | 0.657 per 1,000 people | 0.856 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.5517 per 1,000 people | 0.392 per 1,000 people | 0.714 per 1,000 people | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.8712 per 1,000 people | 0.682 per 1,000 people | 1 per 1,000 people | 9 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More health data for Nicaragua
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,175 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3497 % 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 0.0458 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.323 % 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 Nicaragua?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Nicaragua was 0.682 per 1,000 people in 2018, 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 1 per 1,000 people in 2017.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.34 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Nicaragua rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Nicaragua ranks 133rd out of 194 countries with data for 2018.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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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