World HealtH StatiSticS

2009

Table 6
Health workforce, infrastructure,
essential medicines
Data on the resources available to the health system are essential to enable governments to determine how best to meet
the health-related needs of the population.
Data indicate that globally, there are 13 physicians per 10 000 population, with large variations between countries
and regions. In the African Region, there are only 2 physicians per 10 000 compared with 32 per 10 000 in the
European Region. Globally, there are 28 nurses and midwives per 10 000 population, ranging from a low of 11 per
10 000 in the African Region to a high of 79 per 10 000 in the European Region.
While there are no gold standards for assessing the sufficiency of the health workforce, WHO estimates that
countries with fewer than 23 health-care professionals (counting only physicians, nurses and midwives) per 10 000
population will be unlikely to achieve adequate coverage rates for the key primary health-care interventions prioritized
by the Millennium Development Goals.
Estimates of the numbers and density of the health workforce refer to the active health workforce: people currently
participating in the health labour market. The data are derived from multiple sources including: national population
censuses, labour force and employment surveys, health facility assessments and routine administrative information
systems (including registries on public expenditure, staffing and payroll as well as professional training, registration and
licensure). This diversity of sources means there is considerable variability in the coverage and quality of the data and it
is not always clear whether both the public and private sectors are included.
Hospital beds are used to indicate the availability of inpatient services. There is no global norm for the density of
hospital beds in relation to total population. In the European Region, there are 63 hospital beds per 10 000 population
compared with 10 per 10 000 in the African Region. Statistics on hospital bed density are generally drawn from
routine administrative records but in some settings only public sector beds are included.
In most developing countries the availability of medicines where these are provided through public health
facilities at a low cost or free of charge is very poor. In all regions, availability is better in the private sector, but can
still be poor. Surveys in about 30 developing countries indicate that only 35 % of selected medicines were available in
the public sector and 63 % were available in the private sector. In the private sector, medicines cost on average about
650% more than the international reference price, while in the public sector where patients pay for medicines the
average cost is 250% more than the international reference price.

95
 6. Health workforce, infrastructure, essential medicines
Member State Health workforce a

Physicians Nursing and midwifery personnel Dentistry personnel

Number Density Number Density Number Density

(per 10 000 (per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002007

Afghanistan 5 970 2 14 930 5 900 <1
Albania 3 626 12 12 746 41 1 035 3
Algeria 35 368 11 69 749 22 9 553 3
Andorra 244 36 259 39 46 7
Angola 1 165 1 18 485 14 222 <1
g g g g g g
Antigua and Barbuda 12 2 233 33 13 2
g g g g g g
Argentina 108 800 30 29 000 8 28 900 8
Armenia 11 133 37 14 806 49 1 255 4
Australia 47 875 25 187 837 97 21 296 11
Austria 30 068 37 53 782 66 4 467 5
Azerbaijan 30 766 36 71 265 84 2 431 3
g g g g g g
Bahamas 312 11 1323 45 21 1
Bahrain 1 980 27 3 850 61 300 4
Bangladesh 42 881 3 39 471 3 2 344 <1
g g g g g g
Barbados 322 12 988 37 63 2
Belarus 46 359 48 121 357 125 4 647 5
Belgium 44 124 42 146 846 142 8 305 8
Belize 251 11 303 13 32 1
Benin 311 <1 5 789 8 12 <1
Bhutan 52 <1 545 3 65 <1
Bolivia 10 329 12 18 091 21 5 997 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 540 14 18 332 47 629 2
Botswana 715 4 4 753 27 38 <1
Brazil 198 153 12 659 111 38 190 448 11
Brunei Darussalam 400 11 2 120 61 70 2
Bulgaria 28 111 37 35 028 46 6 512 9
Burkina Faso 708 1 6 557 5 58 <1
Burundi 200 <1 1 348 2 14 <1
Cambodia 2 047 2 11 125 9 209 <1
Cameroon 3 124 2 26 042 16 147 <1
Canada 62 307 19 327 224 101 38 310 12
Cape Verde 231 5 410 9 11 <1
Central African Republic 331 1 1 613 4 13 <1
Chad 345 <1 2 499 3 15 <1
Chile 17 250 11 10 000 6 6 750 4
China 1 862 630 14 1 259 240 10 136 520 1
Colombia 58 761 14 23 940 6 33 951 8
Comoros 115 2 588 7 29 <1
Congo 756 2 3 672 10 12 <1
Cook Islands 20 12 80 47 10 6
Costa Rica 5 204 13 3 653 9 1 905 5
Cte d'Ivoire 2 081 1 10 180 6 339 <1
Croatia 11 250 25 24 872 55 3 230 7
Cuba 66 567 59 83 880 74 9 841 9
Cyprus 1 950 23 3 361 40 715 9
Czech Republic 36 595 36 91 120 89 6 933 7
Democratic People's Republic of Korea 74 597 33 93 414 41 8 315 4
Democratic Republic of the Congo 5 827 1 28 789 5 159 <1
Denmark 19 287 36 54 073 101 4 530 8
Djibouti 140 2 296 4 60 1

96
 World HealtH StatiSticS
2009

Health workforce a
Hospital MDG 8 Essential medicines
beds c
Community health workers Other health service providers b
(per 10 000 Median availability of selected Median consumer price ratio of
population) generic medicines d (%) selected generic medicines e
Number Density Number Density Public Private Public Private
(per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002008 20012007 20012007

900 <1 4
1 173 4 30
f
24 421 8 17
72 11 32
f
3 242 2 8
20
g g
15 300 4 41
i i i
157 1 44 3.4
64 433 33 40
5 076 6 76
1 074 1 80
32
2 511 34 27
21 000 2 24 035 2 3
66
2 930 3 113
11 775 11 53
j
12
f
884 1 5
195 1 926 4 16
11 767 14 11
308 1 30
f
1 611 9 24
499 592 29 24
30 1 28
1 020 1 64
f
1 201 1 2 767 2 9
f
548 1 1 518 2 7
564 <1

Table 6
f h h
2 537 2 15 1.6 20.7
34
f
65 1 172 4 21
f
99 <1 693 2 12
f
154 <1 851 1 4 31.3 13.6 3.9 15.1
23
k k k k
1 724 620 13 22 19.2 10.0 1.5 1.1
10
f
172 2 22
f
1 743 5 16
2 1 63
20 888 53 13
f
2 507 2 4
2 549 6 53
49
160 2 37
5 842 6 82
85 089 38 132
f
2 754 1 8
3 564 7 38
284 4

97
 6. Health workforce, infrastructure, essential medicines
Member State Health workforce a

Physicians Nursing and midwifery personnel Dentistry personnel

Number Density Number Density Number Density

(per 10 000 (per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002007

g g g g g g
Dominica 38 5 317 42 4 1
Dominican Republic 15 670 19 15 352 18 7 000 8
Ecuador 18 335 15 20 586 17 2 062 2
Egypt 179 900 24 248 010 34 25 170 3
El Salvador 7 938 12 5 103 8 3 465 5
Equatorial Guinea 153 3 271 5 15 <1
Eritrea 215 1 2 505 6 16 <1
Estonia 4 414 33 9 247 70 1 175 9
Ethiopia 1 936 <1 15 544 2 93 <1
Fiji 380 5 1 660 20 60 1
Finland 17 357 33 46 930 89 4 490 9
France 207 277 34 486 006 80 41 374 7
Gabon 395 3 6 778 50 66 1
Gambia 156 1 1 881 13 43 <1
Georgia 20 597 47 17 871 40 1 269 3
Germany 284 427 34 662 000 80 65 683 8
Ghana 3 240 2 19 707 9 393 <1
Greece 55 556 50 40 000 36 13 438 12
g g g g g g
Grenada 80 10 326 40 20 2
g g g g g g
Guatemala 9 965 9 44 986 41 2 046 2
Guinea 987 1 4 408 5 60 <1
Guinea-Bissau 188 1 1 072 7 22 <1
Guyana 366 5 1 738 23 30 <1
g g g g g g
Haiti 1 949 3 834 1 94 <1
Honduras 3 676 6 8 528 13 1 371 2
Hungary 30 575 30 92 171 92 4 997 5
Iceland 1 120 38 2 960 101 286 10
India 645 825 6 1 372 059 13 61 424 1
Indonesia 29 499 1 179 959 8 7 093 <1
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 61 870 9 98 020 16 13 210 2
Iraq 19 010 7 36 300 13 3 460 1
Ireland 12 394 29 65 415 195 2 414 6
Israel 25 138 37 42 609 62 7 726 11
Italy 215 000 37 403 000 72 37 000 6
Jamaica 2 253 9 4 374 17 212 1
Japan 270 371 21 1 210 633 95 95 197 7
Jordan 13 460 24 16 770 32 4 330 8
Kazakhstan 57 514 39 113 098 76 5 612 4
Kenya 4 506 1 37 113 12 1 340 <1
Kiribati 20 2 260 30 3 <1
Kuwait 4 840 18 9 940 37 810 3
Kyrgyzstan 12 710 24 30 824 58 1 017 2
Lao People's Democratic Republic 2 000 4 5 600 10
Latvia 7 200 31 12 840 56 1 561 7
Lebanon 8 440 24 4 720 13 3 260 9
Lesotho 89 1 1 123 6 16 <1
Liberia 103 <1 1 035 3 13 <1
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 7 070 13 27 160 48 850 2
Lithuania 13 510 40 26 140 77 2 249 7
Luxembourg 1 255 27 4 418 96 343 8

98
 World HealtH StatiSticS
2009

Health workforce a
Hospital MDG 8 Essential medicines
beds c
Community health workers Other health service providers b
(per 10 000 Median availability of selected Median consumer price ratio of
population) generic medicines d (%) selected generic medicines e
Number Density Number Density Public Private Public Private
(per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002008 20012007 20012007

40
j
3 330 4 10
17
125 776 17 21
j l
7 53.8 69.2 28.3
308 6 1 190 24
f
499 1 12
6 823 52 57
f
13 433 2 17 966 3 2 52.9 88.0 1.3 2.2
i i
90 1 21 75.0 2.7
35 150 68 68
69 431 11 73
f
686 5 20
f
412 3 739 5 8
257 1 33
46 953 6 83
f
9 419 4 9 17.9 44.6 2.4 3.8
8 977 8 48
g g g g
40 5 69 8 26
7
f
1 456 2 3
f
2 355 15 2 475 16 7
25
13
4 077 6 10
5 364 5 71
312 11 53
m m l m
50 393 1 1 752 027 16 7 20.5 75.4 1.8
43 936 2 6 46.7 62.1 2.5 2.8

Table 6
n n
25 242 4 128 160 18 17 92.7 92.8 1.3 1.3
149 <1 40 114 14 13
3 565 9
4 958 7 60
44 000 8 39
20
526 337 41 140
21 971 39 19 27.8 80.0 0.9 10.5
14 048 10 81 0.0 70.0 4.8 3.7
f
22 200 7 14 37.7 72.4 2.0 3.3
2 <1 15
l
1 340 5 19 12.0 4.0 15.7
i i
143 <1 49 80.0 2.6
3 800 7 12
75
l
3 000 8 34 0.0 83.8 6.1
f
298 2 13
1 085 3
1 130 2 37
2 184 6 81
401 9 63

99
 6. Health workforce, infrastructure, essential medicines
Member State Health workforce a

Physicians Nursing and midwifery personnel Dentistry personnel

Number Density Number Density Number Density

(per 10 000 (per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002007

Madagascar 5 201 3 5 661 3 410 <1
Malawi 266 <1 7 264 6
Malaysia 17 020 7 43 380 18 2 160 1
Maldives 302 9 886 27 14 <1
Mali 1 053 1 8 338 6 84 <1
Malta 1 564 39 2 411 60 190 5
Marshall Islands 24 5 152 30 4 1
Mauritania 313 1 1 893 6 64 <1
Mauritius 1 303 11 4 604 37 233 2
Mexico 195 897 20 88 678 9 78 281 8
Micronesia (Federated States of) 60 6 250 23 10 1
Monaco
Mongolia 6 732 26 8 826 35 337 1
Montenegro 1 233 20 3 436 57 263 4
Morocco 15 991 5 24 328 8 3 091 1
Mozambique 514 <1 6 183 3 159 <1
Myanmar 17 791 4 49 341 10 1 396 <1
Namibia 598 3 6 145 31 113 1
Nauru 10 8 63 49 1 1
Nepal 5 384 2 11 825 5 359 <1
Netherlands 60 519 37 2 197 146 7 994 5
New Zealand 8 190 21 33 249 89 1 620 4
Nicaragua 2 045 4 5 862 11 243 <1
Niger 296 <1 2 818 2 15 <1
Nigeria 34 923 3 210 306 17 2 482 <1
Niue 4 20 22 110 2 10
Norway 17 523 38 75 326 162 4 126 9
Oman 4 290 17 9 500 37 460 2
Pakistan 126 350 8 47 380 5 15 790 1
g g
Palau 30 16 120 60 2 1
Panama 4 431 15 8 158 28 2 231 8
Papua New Guinea 275 1 2 841 5 90 <1
Paraguay 6 355 11 10 261 18 3 182 6
g g g g g g
Peru 29 799 12 17 108 7 2 809 1
Philippines 90 370 12 480 910 61 43 220 6
Poland 76 046 20 199 622 52 11 881 3
Portugal 36 138 34 48 155 46 6 149 6
Qatar 2 150 26 4 880 60 690 9
Republic of Korea 75 045 16 83 333 19 16 033 3
Republic of Moldova 11 153 27 26 029 62 1 521 4
Romania 41 455 19 90 698 42 4 360 2
Russian Federation 614 183 43 1 214 292 85 45 628 3
Rwanda 432 1 3 647 4 21 <1
Saint Kitts and Nevis 46 11 198 47 17 4
g g g g g g
Saint Lucia 749 52 331 23 9 1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 89 8 447 38 5 <1
Samoa 50 3 310 17 10 1
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe 81 5 308 19 11 1
Saudi Arabia 34 261 14 74 114 30 4 235 2

100
 World HealtH StatiSticS
2009

Health workforce a
Hospital MDG 8 Essential medicines
beds c
Community health workers Other health service providers b
(per 10 000 Median availability of selected Median consumer price ratio of
population) generic medicines d (%) selected generic medicines e
Number Density Number Density Public Private Public Private
(per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002008 20012007 20012007

f
385 <1 1 007 1 3
f
779 1 11
l
2 880 1 18 25.0 43.8 6.6
515 16 827 25 23
f
68 <1 1 223 1 3 81.0 70.0 1.8 5.4
790 20 76
2 <1
f
664 2 4
f
236 2 2 135 17 30
285 532 29 16
20 2 33

12 083 47 61 100.0 80.0 2.6 4.2
111 2 35
l
10 696 3 9 0.0 52.5 11.1
f
3 782 2 8
44 293 9 11 440 2 6
f
1 606 8 33
10 8 35
16 206 6 5 631 2 2
2 842 2 48
5 259 14 81 344 212 62
10
f
1 067 1 3
f
115 761 9 8 254 1 5 26.2 36.4 3.5 4.3
1 5 52
3 046 7 40
3 248 13 20
l
65 999 4 37 034 2 10 3.3 31.3 2.3

Table 6
g g
1 1 50
7 062 24 22

17 432 30 13
j
12 61.5 60.9 1.4 5.6
137 148 18 13 15.4 26.5 6.4 5.6
21 971 6 52
10 320 10 35
1 100 14 25
50 623 11 86
2 834 7 52
73 482 34 65
1 624 990 114 97
f
12 000 14 1 465 2 16
65 16 83 20 57
29
45 4 35
20 1 20

f
150 9 609 37 32
44 558 18 22

101
 6. Health workforce, infrastructure, essential medicines
Member State Health workforce a

Physicians Nursing and midwifery personnel Dentistry personnel

Number Density Number Density Number Density

(per 10 000 (per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002007

Senegal 594 1 3 287 3 97 <1
Serbia 19 581 20 42 234 43 2 479 3
Seychelles 121 15 634 79 94 12
Sierra Leone 162 <1 2 510 5 5 <1
Singapore 6 380 15 18 710 44 1 190 3
Slovakia 16 868 31 35 757 66 2 441 5
Slovenia 4 723 24 15 057 80 1 198 6
g g
Solomon Islands 60 1 630 14 26 1
g g g g g g
Somalia 310 <1 1 486 2 15 <1
South Africa 34 829 8 184 459 41 5 995 1
Spain 135 300 33 322 600 76 23 300 5
Sri Lanka 10 479 6 33 431 17 1 245 1
Sudan 11 083 3 33 354 9 944 <1
Suriname 191 5 688 16 4 <1
Swaziland 171 2 6 828 63 32 <1
Sweden 29 190 33 97 005 109 7 270 8
Switzerland 28 812 40 79 153 110 3 847 5
Syrian Arab Republic 10 342 5 27 288 14 2 306 1
Tajikistan 13 267 20 33 165 50 1 003 2
Thailand 22 435 4 172 477 28 10 459 2
The former Yugoslav Republic of 5 187 26 8 833 43 1 175 6
Macedonia
Timor-Leste 79 1 1 795 22 45 1
Togo 225 <1 1 937 4 19 <1
Tonga 30 3 350 34 10 1
g g g g g g
Trinidad and Tobago 1 004 8 3 653 29 107 1
Tunisia 13 330 13 28 537 29 2 452 3
Turkey 116 014 16 217 685 29 23 798 3
Turkmenistan 12 210 25 23 026 47 703 1
Tuvalu 10 9 50 46 2 2
Uganda 2 209 1 18 969 7 363 <1
Ukraine 143 728 31 388 444 85 19 169 4
United Arab Emirates 4 960 17 10 340 35 850 3
g g
United Kingdom 126 126 23 740 731 128 25 914 10
United Republic of Tanzania 822 <1 13 292 4 267 <1
United States of America 730 801 26 2 669 603 94 463 663 16
Uruguay 12 384 37 2 880 9 3 936 12
Uzbekistan 70 564 27 290 162 109 5 194 2
Vanuatu 30 1 360 17
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 48 000 19 28 000 11 13 680 6
Viet Nam 44 960 6 61 810 8
Yemen 6 739 3 13 746 7 850 <1
Zambia 1 264 1 22 010 20 491 <1
Zimbabwe 2 086 2 9 357 7 310 <1

102
 World HealtH StatiSticS
2009

Health workforce a
Hospital MDG 8 Essential medicines
beds c
Community health workers Other health service providers b
(per 10 000 Median availability of selected Median consumer price ratio of
population) generic medicines d (%) selected generic medicines e
Number Density Number Density Public Private Public Private
(per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002008 20012007 20012007

f
1 560 2 1
1 884 2 41
f
232 29 57
f
558 1 480 1 4
1 280 3 32
2 637 5 68
905 5 48
g g
28 1 15
g g
8 <1
f i o i o
71 850 16 28 71.7 6.5
39 900 9 34
5 405 3 29
p p p p
4 716 1 30 347 8 7 51.4 77.2 4.2 4.8
33
f
4 000 37 1 573 15 21
5 885 7
4 269 6 55
i i
11 864 6 15 98.2 2.5
680 1 61 75.0 85.0 2.4 2.3
71 528 12 22 75.0 28.6 2.6 3.3
908 5 46

10 <1 1 731 21
f
2 032 4 9
4 <1 29
27
l
18 534 19 18 64.3 95.1 6.8
24 740 3 27
8 772 18 43

Table 6
2 2 56
f l
7 560 3 10 20.0 80.0 2.6
22 257 5 87
l
1 200 4 19 61.1 73.9 13.8
g g
1 205 694 208 39
f
33 438 9 11 23.4 47.9 1.3 2.7
5 039 244 177 31
j
29
i i
828 <1 47 82.5 2.0
37
j
9
24 080 3 27
2 542 1 16 202 8 7 5.0 90.0 1.1 3.5
f
6 811 6 20
f
5 508 4 30

103
 6. Health workforce, infrastructure, essential medicines
Member State Health workforce a

Physicians Nursing and midwifery personnel Dentistry personnel

Number Density Number Density Number Density

(per 10 000 (per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002007

RANGES OF COUNTRY VALUES

Minimum 4 <1 22 1 1 <1
Maximum 1 862 630 59 2 669 603 195 463 663 16
Median 5 201 11 12 746 29 900 2

WHO REGION
African Region 150 708 2 792 361 11 23 964 1
Region of the Americas 1 620 329 19 4 095 757 49 900 702 11
South-East Asia Region 849 324 5 1 955 203 12 92 759 1
European Region 2 816 481 32 6 659 394 79 434 972 5
Eastern Mediterranean Region 532 486 10 734 949 15 84 033 2
Western Pacific Region 2 435 023 14 3 413 921 20 318 082 2

INCOME GROUP
Low income 499 544 4 1 166 992 10 45 019 1
Lower middle income 3 442 424 10 4 910 074 15 416 931 1
Upper middle income 1 763 142 22 3 299 914 42 461 253 6
High income 2 699 197 27 8 274 390 86 931 294 10
Global 8 404 351 13 17 651 585 28 1 854 512 3

104
 World HealtH StatiSticS
2009

Health workforce a
Hospital MDG 8 Essential medicines
beds c
Community health workers Other health service providers b
(per 10 000 Median availability of selected Median consumer price ratio of
population) generic medicines d (%) selected generic medicines e
Number Density Number Density Public Private Public Private
(per 10 000 (per 10 000
population) population)

20002007 20002007 20002008 20012007 20012007

10 <1 1 <1 1 0.0 4.0 0.9 1.1

115 761 37 5 039 244 212 140 100.0 98.2 6.4 28.3
548 2 2 767 5 25 29.6 72.4 2.2 3.8

257 520 4 10
5 904 376 94 24
132 612 1 2 002 575 12 9
3 338 011 38 63
98 648 3 499 977 9 14
2 629 404 15 33

297 164 4 354 686 3 12

4 247 963 13 16
2 682 050 37 42
7 347 149 77 59
14 631 863 24 25

Table 6

105