# Evidence Note — Thailand Physician Density

**For:** Planning meeting
**Prepared from:** World Bank Open Data, indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS
**Access date:** 2026-05-21

## 1. Executive summary

Thailand's physician density has steadily improved from 0.292 physicians per 1,000 people in 2007 to 0.541 in 2021, nearly doubling over the period. The country is making clear progress on health workforce capacity, with a notable acceleration in 2017 when the figure jumped to 0.788. The trend suggests improving access to doctors nationwide and reflects positively on Thailand's investment in medical education.

## 2. Evidence table

| Year | Physicians per 1,000 people |
|------|------------------------------|
| 2007 | 0.292 |
| 2008 | 0.311 |
| 2009 | 0.333 |
| 2010 | 0.383 |
| 2015 | 0.453 |
| 2016 | 0.433 |
| 2017 | 0.788 |
| 2018 | 0.518 |
| 2019 | 0.548 |
| 2020 | 0.509 |
| 2021 | 0.541 |

## 3. Interpretation

The upward trajectory indicates that Thailand has been expanding its medical workforce in line with its growing healthcare needs. The 2017 spike likely reflects a successful policy intervention or expansion of medical training capacity during that period. Even after the 2017 peak, the post-2018 figures stabilise around 0.5, which is a meaningful step up from the pre-2015 baseline and suggests Thailand is on track to meet demand.

## 4. Limitations

The data comes from World Bank Open Data under a CC BY-4.0 licence. Coverage is annual.

## 5. Recommended follow-up questions

- How does Thailand compare to OECD averages?
- What is driving the continued upward trend?
- Are urban hospitals seeing the benefit of more doctors first?

## 6. Practical next step

Use this trend to support the case for continued investment in medical education and workforce development in the upcoming planning cycle.
