Specialist medical practitioners in Australia

Australia: Specialist medical practitioners was 52,498 in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
52,498
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
18th
of 95 countries
All-time high
52,498
in 2023
All-time low
17,717
in 1997
Years of data
25
1997–2023

Specialist medical practitioners in Australia, 1997–2023

20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k1997201020231997: 17.7k1998: 18.5k1999: 19.4k2000: 19.4k2001: 20.6k2002: 21.9k2003: 22.7k2004: 24.4k2005: 25.5k2006: 27.2k2007: 29.8k2008: 30.7k2009: 33.8k2012: 34.9k2013: 36.8k2014: 39.3k2015: 40.9k2016: 43.0k2017: 44.5k2018: 46.1k2019: 46.9k2020: 48.7k2021: 50.5k2022: 51.4k2023: 52.5k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2023, specialist medical practitioners in Australia stood at 52,498. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 42.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, specialist medical practitioners in Australia peaked at 52,498 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17,717, in 1997.

That places Australia 18th out of 95 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18,535 17,717 19,395 3
2000s 25,600 19,388 33,815 10
2010s 41,559 34,895 46,930 8
2020s 50,782 48,724 52,498 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 15 Canada 60,476 compare
  2. 16 Romania 55,847 compare
  3. 17 Greece 55,762 compare
  4. 19 Kazakhstan, Republic of 52,383 compare
  5. 20 Argentina 51,727 compare
  6. 21 Indonesia 46,541 compare

See the full ranking of 96 places β†’

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is specialist medical practitioners in Australia?
Specialist medical practitioners in Australia was 52,498 in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest specialist medical practitioners recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 52,498 in 2023.
What is the lowest specialist medical practitioners recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 17,717 in 1997.
How does Australia rank for specialist medical practitioners?
Australia ranks 18th out of 95 countries with data for 2023.
Is specialist medical practitioners rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 42.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Specialist medical practitioners (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Specialist medical practitioners in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/specialist-medical-practitioners-number/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Specialist medical practitioners (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
96 places, 1,643 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed