The 10 Countries with the Most 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)