Countries With the Lowest Physicians
Every country with a figure for physicians, ranked from lowest to highest. The top three are Niger (0.038), South Sudan (0.041) and Somalia, Fed. Rep. (0.048). The middle country of the 194 has 1.66.
What this measures
Physicians (per 1,000 people). Source: World Health Organization. For this measure, higher is better.
Reported irregularly, so the latest value in the time window used is from a different year for different countries. Hospital beds, already on the site, have no "better" direction, since more beds is not plainly better. More doctors is closer to plainly better, so a direction is set on that basis.
This measure mostly follows how rich a country is, so this ranking is close to a ranking by national income. Each country’s page also ranks it against countries with similar incomes, which is often the fairer comparison.
The full ranking
Each country’s latest figure, from 2010–2023. The year beside each value says when it was measured.
| Rank | Country | Physicians | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niger | 0.038 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | South Sudan | 0.041 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 0.048 | 2014 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Malawi | 0.054 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 5 | Papua New Guinea | 0.061 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 6 | Central African Republic | 0.074 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Burundi | 0.078 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Togo | 0.08 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 9 | Chad | 0.085 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 10 | Eritrea | 0.088 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 11 | Gambia, The | 0.09 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 12 | Rwanda | 0.09 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 13 | Yemen, Rep. | 0.098 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 14 | Senegal | 0.109 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 15 | Sierra Leone | 0.134 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 16 | Tanzania | 0.134 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 17 | Cameroon | 0.136 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 18 | Zimbabwe | 0.136 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 19 | Ethiopia | 0.143 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 0.148 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 21 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.153 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 22 | Vanuatu | 0.164 | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 23 | Cote d'Ivoire | 0.166 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 24 | Madagascar | 0.172 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 25 | Congo, Rep. | 0.173 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 26 | Mozambique | 0.175 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 27 | Liberia | 0.178 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 28 | Mali | 0.188 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 29 | Uganda | 0.191 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 30 | Kiribati | 0.193 | 2013 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 31 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 0.208 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 32 | Guinea | 0.21 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 33 | Djibouti | 0.211 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 34 | Cambodia | 0.211 | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 35 | Benin | 0.216 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 36 | Lesotho | 0.235 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 37 | Solomon Islands | 0.238 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 38 | Angola | 0.244 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 39 | Sudan | 0.25 | 2017 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 40 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.252 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 41 | Mauritania | 0.261 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 42 | Ghana | 0.266 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 43 | Kenya | 0.289 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 44 | Haiti | 0.292 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 45 | Afghanistan | 0.317 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 46 | Zambia | 0.324 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 47 | Lao PDR | 0.331 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 48 | Botswana | 0.379 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 49 | Nigeria | 0.38 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 50 | Comoros | 0.424 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 51 | Jamaica | 0.46 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 52 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.464 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 53 | Marshall Islands | 0.467 | 2012 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 54 | Honduras | 0.489 | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 55 | Gabon | 0.521 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 56 | Indonesia | 0.524 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 57 | Thailand | 0.541 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 58 | Bhutan | 0.553 | 2022 | South Asia |
| 59 | Namibia | 0.553 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 60 | Eswatini | 0.557 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 61 | Samoa | 0.561 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 62 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 0.671 | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 63 | Nicaragua | 0.682 | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 64 | Bangladesh | 0.722 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 65 | India | 0.723 | 2020 | South Asia |
| 66 | Cabo Verde | 0.73 | 2023 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 67 | Morocco | 0.74 | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 68 | Bahrain | 0.741 | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 69 | Timor-Leste | 0.752 | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 70 | Myanmar | 0.757 | 2019 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 71 | Philippines | 0.792 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 72 | South Africa | 0.794 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 73 | Fiji | 0.813 | 2015 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 74 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.938 | 2012 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 75 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 0.974 | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 76 | Nepal | 1.01 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 77 | Tonga | 1.01 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 78 | Iraq | 1.02 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 79 | Belize | 1.09 | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 80 | Viet Nam | 1.11 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 81 | Sri Lanka | 1.14 | 2023 | South Asia |
| 82 | Dominica | 1.16 | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 83 | Pakistan | 1.16 | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 84 | Naoero | 1.27 | 2015 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 85 | Guatemala | 1.28 | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 86 | Bolivia | 1.28 | 2021 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 87 | Tunisia | 1.31 | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 88 | Tuvalu | 1.35 | 2020 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 89 | Suriname | 1.35 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 90 | Grenada | 1.38 | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 91 | Guyana | 1.39 | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 92 | Mauritius | 1.44 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 93 | Isle of Man | 1.45 | 2010 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 94 | Syrian Arab Republic | 1.52 | 2021 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 95 | Kyrgyz Republic | 1.57 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 96 | El Salvador | 1.62 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 97 | Panama | 1.63 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 98 | Algeria | 1.66 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 99 | Venezuela, RB | 1.66 | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 100 | Peru | 1.69 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 101 | Palau | 1.81 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 102 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 1.81 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 103 | Tajikistan | 1.87 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 104 | Albania | 1.88 | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 105 | Brunei Darussalam | 1.89 | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 106 | Bahamas, The | 1.9 | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 107 | Turkmenistan | 1.93 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 108 | Oman | 1.99 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 109 | Libya | 2.04 | 2017 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 110 | West Bank and Gaza | 2.17 | 2018 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 111 | Maldives | 2.23 | 2019 | South Asia |
| 112 | Turkiye | 2.24 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 113 | Kuwait | 2.27 | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 114 | Ecuador | 2.31 | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 115 | Malaysia | 2.34 | 2023 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 116 | Brazil | 2.36 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 117 | Dominican Republic | 2.43 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 118 | Colombia | 2.54 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 119 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.58 | 2019 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 120 | Mexico | 2.59 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 121 | Korea, Rep. | 2.61 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 122 | Japan | 2.65 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 123 | Lebanon | 2.68 | 2020 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 124 | Costa Rica | 2.69 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 125 | Montenegro | 2.78 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 126 | Uzbekistan | 2.81 | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 127 | Canada | 2.82 | 2023 | North America |
| 128 | Singapore | 2.83 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 129 | Jordan | 2.85 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 130 | Antigua and Barbuda | 2.92 | 2017 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 131 | North Macedonia | 2.94 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 132 | Barbados | 2.96 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 133 | Luxembourg | 2.98 | 2017 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 134 | United Arab Emirates | 2.99 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 135 | Qatar | 3.02 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 136 | St. Kitts and Nevis | 3.08 | 2018 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 137 | Serbia | 3.1 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 138 | China | 3.11 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 139 | Azerbaijan | 3.19 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 140 | France | 3.28 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 141 | United Kingdom | 3.3 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 142 | Chile | 3.33 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 143 | Armenia | 3.36 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 144 | Slovenia | 3.37 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 145 | Latvia | 3.4 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 146 | Saudi Arabia | 3.41 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 147 | Hungary | 3.46 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 148 | Estonia | 3.47 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 149 | Ukraine | 3.53 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 150 | Cyprus | 3.56 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 151 | Belgium | 3.57 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 152 | Finland | 3.61 | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 153 | New Zealand | 3.61 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 154 | Romania | 3.63 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 155 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 3.63 | 2017 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 156 | United States | 3.68 | 2022 | North America |
| 157 | Slovak Republic | 3.7 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 158 | Kazakhstan | 3.75 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 159 | Israel | 3.8 | 2023 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 160 | Ireland | 3.88 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 161 | Netherlands | 3.88 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 162 | Paraguay | 3.89 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 163 | Croatia | 3.91 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 164 | Moldova | 4.02 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 165 | Poland | 4.03 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 166 | Australia | 4.09 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 167 | Mongolia | 4.13 | 2022 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 168 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.16 | 2021 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 169 | Italy | 4.19 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 170 | St. Lucia | 4.23 | 2020 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 171 | Spain | 4.29 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 172 | Bulgaria | 4.33 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 173 | Czechia | 4.35 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 174 | Iceland | 4.37 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 175 | Sweden | 4.41 | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 176 | Lithuania | 4.47 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 177 | Switzerland | 4.48 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 178 | Denmark | 4.5 | 2021 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 179 | Malta | 4.51 | 2022 | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan |
| 180 | Germany | 4.53 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 181 | San Marino | 4.63 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 182 | Uruguay | 4.67 | 2022 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 183 | Belarus | 4.72 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 184 | Norway | 4.97 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 185 | Andorra | 5.07 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 186 | Argentina | 5.11 | 2023 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 187 | Russian Federation | 5.11 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 188 | Austria | 5.51 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 189 | Georgia | 5.64 | 2023 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 190 | Portugal | 5.85 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 191 | Greece | 6.58 | 2022 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 192 | Seychelles | 6.6 | 2022 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 193 | Monaco | 8.61 | 2020 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 194 | Cuba | 9.54 | 2021 | Latin America & Caribbean |
More on physicians
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A ranking describes countries, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All country rankings.