Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama
Panama: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 1.62 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
1.62 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
97th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.79 per 1,000 people
in 1988
All-time low
0.356 per 1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
40
1960–2022
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama, 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
Panama recorded 1.62 per 1,000 people for medical doctors per 1,000 people in 2022.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama peaked at 1.79 per 1,000 people in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.356 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
Panama ranks 97th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 40 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.356 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.478 per 1,000 people | +34.3% |
| 1970 | 0.613 per 1,000 people | +28.2% |
| 1975 | 0.597 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 0.993 per 1,000 people | +66.3% |
| 1984 | 1.02 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 1.01 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.79 per 1,000 people | +78.2% |
| 1990 | 1.12 per 1,000 people | -37.5% |
| 1991 | 1.13 per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 1.15 per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 1.18 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 1.13 per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 1.17 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 1.21 per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 1.21 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.2 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 1.24 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 1.25 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.34 per 1,000 people | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 1.35 per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.33 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.35 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.36 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.31 per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 1.39 per 1,000 people | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 1.31 per 1,000 people | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 1.41 per 1,000 people | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 1.5 per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 1.6 per 1,000 people | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 1.59 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.59 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.58 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.57 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.59 per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.61 per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.64 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.63 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.74 per 1,000 people | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 1.62 per 1,000 people | -6.4% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 1.62 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.59 per 1,000 people, 45% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Panama's 1.62 per 1,000 people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.9 per 1,000 people, 86% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +78.2% | 1.01 per 1,000 people | 1.79 per 1,000 people |
| 1981 | +66.3% | 0.597 per 1,000 people | 0.993 per 1,000 people |
| 1990 | -37.5% | 1.79 per 1,000 people | 1.12 per 1,000 people |
| 1965 | +34.3% | 0.356 per 1,000 people | 0.478 per 1,000 people |
| 1970 | +28.2% | 0.478 per 1,000 people | 0.613 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.417 per 1,000 people | 0.356 per 1,000 people | 0.478 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.605 per 1,000 people | 0.597 per 1,000 people | 0.613 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.2 per 1,000 people | 0.993 per 1,000 people | 1.79 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 1.18 per 1,000 people | 1.12 per 1,000 people | 1.24 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.33 per 1,000 people | 1.25 per 1,000 people | 1.39 per 1,000 people | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.57 per 1,000 people | 1.41 per 1,000 people | 1.64 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 per 1,000 people | 1.62 per 1,000 people | 1.74 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More health data for Panama
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5994 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,074 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 101 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.2522 % 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 0.0378 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.3451 % 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 Panama?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Panama was 1.62 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 1.79 per 1,000 people in 1988.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.356 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Panama rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Panama ranks 97th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama 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.
Download this data
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