Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa

Samoa: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.561 per 1,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
0.561 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
135th
of 194 countries
All-time high
0.666 per 1,000 people
in 1999
All-time low
0.207 per 1,000 people
in 1989
Years of data
19
1960–2021

Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa, 1960–2021

0.20.30.40.50.60.71960199020211960: 0.441 per 1,000 people1970: 0.35 per 1,000 people1980: 0.361 per 1,000 people1981: 0.404 per 1,000 people1986: 0.28 per 1,000 people1989: 0.207 per 1,000 people1992: 0.365 per 1,000 people1996: 0.344 per 1,000 people1998: 0.33 per 1,000 people1999: 0.666 per 1,000 people2003: 0.27 per 1,000 people2005: 0.267 per 1,000 people2008: 0.447 per 1,000 people2010: 0.332 per 1,000 people2013: 0.464 per 1,000 people2016: 0.329 per 1,000 people2019: 0.558 per 1,000 people2020: 0.562 per 1,000 people2021: 0.561 per 1,000 people

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

The most recent figure for medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa is 0.561 per 1,000 people, measured in 2021.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 69.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa peaked at 0.666 per 1,000 people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.207 per 1,000 people, in 1989.

Samoa ranks 135th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.441 per 1,000 people 0.441 per 1,000 people 0.441 per 1,000 people 1
1970s 0.35 per 1,000 people 0.35 per 1,000 people 0.35 per 1,000 people 1
1980s 0.313 per 1,000 people 0.207 per 1,000 people 0.404 per 1,000 people 4
1990s 0.4263 per 1,000 people 0.33 per 1,000 people 0.666 per 1,000 people 4
2000s 0.328 per 1,000 people 0.267 per 1,000 people 0.447 per 1,000 people 3
2010s 0.4208 per 1,000 people 0.329 per 1,000 people 0.558 per 1,000 people 4
2020s 0.5615 per 1,000 people 0.561 per 1,000 people 0.562 per 1,000 people 2

Countries ranked near Samoa

  1. 132 Bangladesh 0.722 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 133 Nicaragua 0.682 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 134 Egypt 0.671 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 136 Eswatini 0.557 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 137 Bhutan 0.553 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 137 Namibia 0.553 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for Samoa

All data for Samoa →

Frequently asked questions

What is medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa?
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Samoa was 0.561 per 1,000 people in 2021, 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 Samoa?
The highest recorded value was 0.666 per 1,000 people in 1999.
What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Samoa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.207 per 1,000 people in 1989.
How does Samoa rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
Samoa ranks 135th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Samoa?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Samoa 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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About this data

Indicator
Medical doctors per 1,000 people
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 5,326 data points, 1960–2023
Last refreshed