Article

The 10 Countries with the Most Physicians Per Capita

Author(s):

With all the talk about a looming physician shortage in the US, it's instructive to see where the US falls in terms of physicians per capita.

This article was updated on August 21, 2019 to reflect the most recently available data.

With so much attention paid to a potential physician shortage, coupled with an aging population, how does the US stack up against the rest of the world? While in the upper half globally with 25.9 physicians per 10,000 residents in 2016 according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the US is a long way from cracking the top 10.

The US also spends 17% of their gross domestic product (GDP) based on World Bank data, by far more than any of the countries that landed in the top 10 in physicians per 10,000 residents. The US, with a population of 327.2 million according to the United Nations, also has a life expectancy of 80-years, based on a 2017 US Central Intelligence Agency report.

The following is the list of top 10 countries based on the number of physicians per 10,000 residents:

10. Denmark

Physicians per 10,000 People: 44.6 (2016)

Population (In Thousands): 5711 (2016)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 10.35 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 79.5 (2017)

9. Greece

Physicians per 10,000 People: 45.9 (2016)

Population (In Thousands): 10,615 (2016)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 8.45 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 80.7 (2017)

8. Norway

Physicians per 10,000 People: 46.3 (2017)

Population (In Thousands): 5296 (2017)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 10.50 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 81.9 (2017)

7. Uruguay

Physicians per 10,000 People: 50.5 (2017)

Population (In Thousands): 3437 (2017)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 9.06 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 77.4 (2017)

6. Georgia

Physicians per 10,000 People: 51.0 (2015)

Population (In Thousands): 4024 (2015)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 8.44 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 76.4 (2017)

5. Austria

Physicians per 10,000 People: 51.441 (2016)

Population (In Thousands): 8747 (2016)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 10.44 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 81.6 (2017)

4. Sweden

Physicians per 10,000 People: 54.0 (2016)

Population (In Thousands): 9836 (2016)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 10.93 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 82.1 (2017)

3. San Marino

Physicians per 10,000 People: 61.5 (2014)

Population (In Thousands): 33 (2014)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 6.40 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 83.3 (2017)

2. Monaco

Physicians per 10,000 People: 65.6 (2014)

Population (In Thousands): 37 (2014)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 1.75 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 89.4 (2017)

1. Cuba

Physicians per 10,000 People: 81.9 (2017)

Population (In Thousands): 11,339 (2017)

% of GDP Spent on Healthcare: 12.19 (2016)

Life Expectancy: 78.8 (2017)

Related Videos
Using Microbiomes to Diagnose Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Tailoring Chest Pain Diagnostics to Patients, with Kyle Fortman, PA-C, MBA
Solutions to Prevent Climate Change-Related Illness, with Janelle Bludhorn, PA-C
Kyle Fortman, PA-C, MBA: Troponin and Heart Injury Risk Screening Recommendations
What Should the American Academy of Physician Associates Focus on in 2025?
The Rising Rate of Heat-Related Illness, with Janelle Bludhorn, PA-C
Mikkael Sekeres, MD:
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.