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Indicators · People and labour

Doctors per 1,000 people

Medical doctors, generalist and specialist, per 1,000 people.

Why it matters

The scarcest input in healthcare. Low numbers mean long queues, private-practice demand and room for telemedicine.

Read with care

Countries report irregularly, so the latest year differs a lot between countries.

Source

World Bank

per 1,000 people. 54 African countries, 1990 to 2023.

Doctors: highest in Seychelles, lowest in Malawi

Doctors per 1,000 people, per 1,000 people. Latest year available, mostly 2022. 16 of 16 countries have data.

0.2
0.2
0.4
0.6
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Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: doctorsiWhy it mattersThe scarcest input in healthcare. Low numbers mean long queues, private-practice demand and room for telemedicine.

Click a country to highlight it.

00.511.52Seychelles6.60 (2022)Mauritius1.44 (2022)South Africa0.79 (2022)Eswatini0.56Namibia0.55 (2022)Comoros0.42 (2022)Botswana0.38Zambia0.32 (2022)Angola0.24 (2022)Lesotho0.24 (2022)DRC0.21 (2022)Mozambique0.18 (2022)Madagascar0.17 (2022)Zimbabwe0.14Tanzania0.13 (2022)Malawi0.05 (2022)Axis cut: longest bar not to scalemedian 0.28
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 0.28Log scaleLowest: Malawi 0.05Highest: Seychelles 6.60

Over time

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Doctors per 1,000 people against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.001.002.003.004.005.006.007.00$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)DoctorsDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueNamibiaBotswanaLesotho
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Seychelles6.602022up 257% since 2016B
2Mauritius1.442022down 37% since 2017B
3South Africa0.792022up 2% since 2017B
4Eswatini0.562023up 134% since 2018B
5Namibia0.552022down 2% since 2017B
6Comoros0.422022up 46% since 2016B
7Botswana0.382023down 6% since 2018B
8Zambia0.322022up 260% since 2016B
9Angola0.242022up 15% since 2017B
10Lesotho0.242022up 241% since 2010B
11DRC0.212022up 145% since 2013B
12Mozambique0.182022up 127% since 2017B
13Madagascar0.172022little changed since 2014B
14Zimbabwe0.142023down 32% since 2018B
15Tanzania0.132022up 123% since 2014B
16Malawi0.052022up 74% since 2016B