Belgium Has The World’s Most Doctors Per Capita; Ethiopia Not So Much…

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, maps and ranks the countries with the highest and lowest doctor density (measured per 10,000 population), according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates as of 2022.

“Doctors” includes generalists, specialist medical practitioners and other medical doctors not further defined. Depending on the source country, may include only practicing physicians or all registered physicians.

Health worker density in general is an important metric tracked by the UN, as part of its sustainable development goals. A 2016 WHO study found that investing and expanding healthcare workforces improves economic growth.

Ranked: Doctors Per 10,000 Population

European countries, like Belgium, Georgia, and Austria, lead the ranks by the ratio of doctors to resident population. South American countries, represented by Uruguay and Argentina, also make the top 10.

Rank	Country	Doctors per 10K People (2022)
1	Belgium	63.9
2	Georgia	56.1
3	Austria	55.1
4	Lithuania	51.3
5	Bulgaria	49.0
6	Uruguay	46.3
7	Iceland	45.2
8	Cabo Verde	44.6
9	Italy	42.5
10	Argentina	40.8
11	Paraguay	38.8
12	Seychelles	38.2
13	Israel	37.1
14	New Zealand	35.7
15	Chile	31.7
16	UK	31.7
17	Saudi Arabia	30.8
18	Barbados	29.7
19	Montenegro	27.5
20	Costa Rica	26.4
21	Canada	25.0
22	Dominican Republic	22.3
23	Oman	20.6
24	Peru	16.2
25	Eswatini	15.9
26	El Salvador	15.5
27	Mauritius	12.0
28	Iraq	10.1
29	Indonesia	6.9
30	Bhutan	5.5
31	Namibia	5.4
32	Gabon	4.8
33	Nigeria	3.9
34	Botswana	3.8
35	Zambia	2.6
36	Angola	2.4
37	Mauritania	2.4
38	Guinea-Bissau	2.1
39	Benin	2.0
40	DRC	1.9
41	Mali	1.9
42	Côte d’Ivoire	1.8
43	Liberia	1.8
44	Congo	1.7
45	Uganda	1.7
46	Zimbabwe	1.7
47	Burkina Faso	1.5
48	Lesotho	1.5
49	Equatorial Guinea	1.4
50	Ghana	1.4
51	Cameroon	1.3
52	Senegal	1.3
53	Tanzania	1.3
54	Ethiopia	1.1
55	Kenya	1.0
56	Chad	0.9
57	Mozambique	0.8
58	Togo	0.8
59	Eritrea	0.7
60	Malawi	0.5
61	Sierra Leone	0.4
62	Guinea	0.2
63	Niger	0.2
N/A	World	17.2

Note: Countries with 2022 data only.

Meanwhile, eight African countries have fewer than 1 doctor per 10,000 population. According to the Africa Report, medical students from the continent move abroad to complete their education, but often don’t return.

However, Cabo Verde, a small nation of 10 islands off the coast of Africa is a big regional outlier with 44.6 doctors per 10,000 population. The country has made strides in expanding healthcare services since it gained independence in 1975. In the same time, life expectancy increased from 56 to 75, and the infant mortality rate dropped from 108 to 15 deaths per 1,000 births.

A Look at the G7 Countries

Finally, here’s a quick summary at how the G7 countries do in doctor density, as per the latest estimates from the World Health Organization.

Germany and Italy lead with 42–45 doctors per 10,000 people. The U.S., UK, and France are between 31–32 per 10,000 population. Japan and Canada are significantly lower at 25–26 for 10,000 residents.