India’s doctor-population ratio currently stands at 1:811, according to data disclosed in Parliament by the government this week. The figure is based on the estimate that around 80 percent of registered allopathic and Ministry Of Ayush practitioners are active.
As of now, there are approximately 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered Ministry Of Ayush practitioners across the country. The last decade has also seen sharp expansion in medical education infrastructure: the number of medical colleges has risen from 387 in 2014 to 818 in 2025, while undergraduate medical seats increased from 51,348 to 1,28,875 and postgraduate seats from 31,185 to 82,059.
The updated ratio suggests that, on paper, India now crosses the threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) of one doctor per 1000 population — a fact the government has highlighted in its communication.
Nevertheless the ratio does not necessarily reflect uniform access to doctors across the country, or equal distribution of medical services across urban, rural and remote areas. Variations in actual availability, regional inequality in distribution of practitioners and uneven healthcare infrastructure continue to pose challenges despite the overall national numbers.
The government has noted that expansion of medical education and training capacity, along with efforts to post doctors in underserved districts, form part of a broader strategy to improve access to healthcare across India.
