Nicaragua: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2018, Nicaragua's physicians (per 1,000 people) fell 0.32 on 2017 (from 1 to 0.68).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2017), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 10.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.12 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.32 in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 16% of the movement over 10 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.

Closest to Nicaragua in the 2018 ranking

• Grenada — 2nd of 5: 1.38
• Dominica — 3rd of 5: 1.16
• Belize — 4th of 5: 1.09

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 26 values

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 2.92 (2017)
• Argentina — 5.11 (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 1.9 (2017)
• Barbados — 2.96 (2022)
• Belize — 1.09 (2018)
• Bolivia — 1.28 (2021)
• Brazil — 2.36 (2023)
• Chile — 3.33 (2023)
• Colombia — 2.54 (2023)
• Costa Rica — 2.69 (2022)
• Cuba — 9.54 (2021)
• Dominica

More health data for Nicaragua

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.02% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 9.61% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 976,928 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 27.44% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.01 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 29.21% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.98 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 28.31% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 9.17% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

0.68 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 100.59% from 0.34 in 1960 (1.21% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1 in 2017 and the lowest 0.34 in 1960.

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

In 2018, Nicaragua's physicians (per 1,000 people) fell 0.32 on 2017 (from 1 to 0.68). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2017), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.04 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 10.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

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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