Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.061 per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea, 1965–2023
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 Papua New Guinea stood at 0.061 per 1,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea peaked at 0.162 per 1,000 people in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.046 per 1,000 people, in 2008.
That places Papua New Guinea 191st out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.079 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1970 | 0.086 per 1,000 people | +8.9% |
| 1973 | 0.056 per 1,000 people | -34.9% |
| 1975 | 0.085 per 1,000 people | +51.8% |
| 1980 | 0.062 per 1,000 people | -27.1% |
| 1981 | 0.062 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.162 per 1,000 people | +161.3% |
| 1990 | 0.073 per 1,000 people | -54.9% |
| 1998 | 0.073 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.05 per 1,000 people | -31.5% |
| 2008 | 0.046 per 1,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 0.049 per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 0.064 per 1,000 people | +30.6% |
| 2019 | 0.06 per 1,000 people | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 0.063 per 1,000 people | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 0.061 per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 0.061 per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3555 per 1,000 people, 17% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 0.061 per 1,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06 per 1,000 people, 6% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +161.3% | 0.062 per 1,000 people | 0.162 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.079 per 1,000 people | 0.079 per 1,000 people | 0.079 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.0757 per 1,000 people | 0.056 per 1,000 people | 0.086 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1980s | 0.0953 per 1,000 people | 0.062 per 1,000 people | 0.162 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 0.073 per 1,000 people | 0.073 per 1,000 people | 0.073 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.048 per 1,000 people | 0.046 per 1,000 people | 0.05 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.0577 per 1,000 people | 0.049 per 1,000 people | 0.064 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.062 per 1,000 people | 0.061 per 1,000 people | 0.063 per 1,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More health data for Papua New Guinea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3741 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,127 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,501 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.27 % 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 0.0555 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.2621 % 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 Papua New Guinea?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea was 0.061 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.162 per 1,000 people in 1985.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.046 per 1,000 people in 2008.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 191st out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).