Lebanon: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Lebanon's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.07 on 2019 (from 2.61 to 2.68).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 0.21 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.38 in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.27 in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2020, Lebanon had the 3rd highest value of the 14 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 Lebanon in the 2020 ranking

• Monaco — 1st of 14: 8.61
• St. Lucia — 2nd of 14: 4.23
• Ecuador — 4th of 14: 2.31
• Kuwait — 5th of 14: 2.27
• Albania — 6th of 14: 1.88

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 23 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)
• Israel — 3.8 (2023)
• Jordan — 2.85 (2022)
• Kuwait — 2.27 (2020)
• Libya — 2.04 (2017)
• Malta

More health data for Lebanon

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 7.4% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 8.21% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 729,129 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 24.28% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 767,602 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 26.97% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.5 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 25.59% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 7.66% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

2.68 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 244.47% from 0.78 in 1960 (2.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.68 in 2020 and the lowest 0.73 in 1970.

How does Lebanon rank?

3rd highest of 14 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Lebanon's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.07 on 2019 (from 2.61 to 2.68). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 0.21 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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