Israel: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Israel's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.11 on 2022 (from 3.69 to 3.8).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.00103 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.36 in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.08 in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.04 a year. A straight line explains 86% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Israel had the 12th highest value of the 58 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Israel in the 2023 ranking

• Poland — 9th of 58: 4.03
• Moldova — 10th of 58: 4.02
• Ireland — 11th of 58: 3.88
• Kazakhstan — 13th of 58: 3.75
• Ukraine — 14th of 58: 3.53
• Saudi Arabia — 15th of 58: 3.41

What this measures

Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.

Limitations: The WHO compiles data from household and labor force surveys, censuses, and administrative records. Data comparability is limited by differences in definitions and training of medical personnel varies. In addition, human resources tend to be concentrated in urban areas, so that average densities do not provide a full picture of health personnel available to the entire population.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 41 values

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.32 (2023)
• Algeria — 1.66 (2022)
• Bahrain — 0.74 (2020)
• Djibouti — 0.21 (2022)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.67 (2020)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 1.81 (2023)
• Iraq — 1.02 (2022)
• Jordan — 2.85 (2022)
• Kuwait — 2.27 (2020)
• Lebanon — 2.68 (2020)
• Libya — 2.04 (2017)
• Malta

More health data for Israel

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 8.86% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 9.41% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.34 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 26.35% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.41 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 27.98% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 2.75 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 27.16% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 8.95% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Israel's physicians (per 1,000 people)?

3.8 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 53.6% from 2.47 in 1960 (0.68% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3.81 in 1998 and the lowest 2.47 in 1960.

How does Israel rank?

12th highest of 58 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in physicians (per 1,000 people) unusual for Israel?

In 2023, Israel's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.11 on 2022 (from 3.69 to 3.8). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.00103 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Country data Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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