Practising physicians per 1,000 people, from the WHO and World Bank. Densities range from below 0.5 across much of sub-Saharan Africa to above 4 in parts of Europe, framing where AI and task-shifting tools are most needed.
The supply of clinicians is the backdrop against which the case for digital health is often made. Where physicians are scarce, decision support, triage tools, task-shifting to community health workers, and asynchronous specialist review are not conveniences but a way to extend a thin workforce. This indicator reports practising physicians per 1,000 people, compiled by Our World in Data from WHO and World Bank sources.
How to read it
The map shows the most recent reported year for each country; reporting is irregular, so the latest available value can differ in vintage from one country to the next. Use the comparison chart to see long-run growth in physician supply where data are continuous.
What it shows
Densities span roughly an order of magnitude. Several high-income countries report more than 3 to 4 physicians per 1,000 people, whereas many low-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, report fewer than 0.5. These are precisely the settings in which the World Health Organization has highlighted critical shortages, and where digital tools are most often proposed to close care gaps.
Caveats
Definitions vary between "practising", "professionally active", and "licensed" physicians, and not all countries report every year, so cross-country comparisons should be read as broad orders of magnitude rather than precise rankings.