Sri Lanka: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.14 in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.02 in 1994. 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 0.05 a year. A straight line explains 86% of the movement over 9 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, Sri Lanka had the 34th 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 Sri Lanka in the 2023 ranking

• El Salvador — 31st of 58: 1.62
• Kyrgyz Republic — 32nd of 58: 1.57
• Suriname — 33rd of 58: 1.36
• Nepal — 35th of 58: 1.01
• Cabo Verde — 36th of 58: 0.73
• Bangladesh — 37th of 58: 0.72

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 38 values

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 0.72 (2023)
• Bhutan — 0.55 (2022)
• India — 0.72 (2020)
• Maldives — 2.24 (2019)
• Nepal — 1.01 (2023)

More health data for Sri Lanka

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 6.56% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 7.3% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 2.31 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 20.6% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 2.41 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 22.87% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 4.72 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 21.7% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 6.81% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 409.42% from 0.22 in 1960 (2.62% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.17 in 2020 and the lowest 0.13 in 1981.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

34th highest of 58 economies with data for 2023.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.