St. Lucia: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

Since 1960 it is up 2,946% from 0.14 in 1960 (5.86% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 38 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2020, St. Lucia's physicians (per 1,000 people) fell 1.93 on 2019 (from 6.17 to 4.23).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.32 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.57 in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.93 in 2020. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.51 a year. A straight line explains 65% 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 2020, St. Lucia had the 2nd 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 St. Lucia in the 2020 ranking

• Monaco — 1st of 14: 8.61
• Lebanon — 3rd of 14: 2.68
• Ecuador — 4th of 14: 2.31
• Kuwait — 5th of 14: 2.27

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

• 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 St. Lucia

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 5.41% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 5.72% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 15,327 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 16.79% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 15,739 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 17.71% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 31,067 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 17.25% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.64% (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 St. Lucia's physicians (per 1,000 people)?

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

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 2,946% from 0.14 in 1960 (5.86% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6.37 in 2018 and the lowest 0.14 in 1960.

How does St. Lucia rank?

2nd highest of 14 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, St. Lucia's physicians (per 1,000 people) fell 1.93 on 2019 (from 6.17 to 4.23). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was +0.04 and a typical year strayed about 0.32 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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.