What percent of US doctors are immigrants?

Asked by: Prof. Jarvis Moore  |  Last update: October 20, 2025
Score: 4.1/5 (67 votes)

Currently, one in five physicians are immigrants. In some disciplines, immigrants make up 50% of the active physicians (examples: geriatric medicine and nephrology) and in rural communities, immigrant physicians may be the only primary care providers in the area.

What percentage of U.S. doctors are IMGs?

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) contribute to about 23% of the physician workforce in the USA. Certain US-trained IMGs face long wait times for transitioning to a permanent resident status, which limits their ability to work to fullest capacity, especially during a public health emergency.

Why are so many doctors in the U.S. foreign?

The primary reason for the huge increase in foreign-trained doctors is simply that too few U.S. medical schools are training too few students. About a third of foreign-trained “medical residents” are U.S. citizens who had been turned away from domestic medical schools and have been forced to go overseas.

What percentage of doctors in the U.S. are of Indian origin?

As of 2019, there were about 938,980 active physicians in the US; Indian-origin physicians account for at least 8.5% of the total physician population. It is noteworthy that India provides the largest number of International Medical Graduates to the US in absolute numbers.

How many immigrant doctors are there in Canada?

In 2022, pharmacists had the largest proportion of IEHPs (of those professionals discussed in this report) — more than a third of licensed pharmacists in Canada were internationally educated. This was followed by physicians, with 27% of the workforce being international medical graduates.

The US Health Care System Needs Immigrants

40 related questions found

What percentage of Canadian doctors are indigenous?

According to the 2016 Stat Canada census, of the 93,985 specialists and general practitioners in Canada, less than one per cent (760) identify as Aboriginal, but Indigenous people make up more than 4.5 per cent of the population.

What ethnicity has the most doctors in the US?

At 64%, the majority of physicians identify as White. Asians physicians are the second largest racial group at 21%. Hispanic physicians make up nearly 7%; and less than 6% of physicians identify as Black. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) physicians are severely underrepresented at just 0.1%.

Are 38% of doctors in USA Indians?

The extent to which desis have made an impact in the US was reeled off in the Rajya Sabha, as many as 12% scientists and 38% doctors in the US are Indians, and in NASA, 36% or almost 4 out of 10 scientists are Indians.

Which country has the best doctors?

Here are the top 10 countries known to have the best doctors according to the World Population Review 2024:
  1. United States. The United States is often considered a global leader in the medical field. ...
  2. India. ...
  3. United Kingdom. ...
  4. Germany. ...
  5. France. ...
  6. Switzerland. ...
  7. Canada. ...
  8. Italy.

Why doctors are highly paid in USA?

There is a lot of training and long work hours that go into the job, and that is naturally associated with higher earnings,” said Joshua Gottlieb, a University of Chicago economist involved in the research.

Which country has most foreign doctors?

in 2021, Israel had the highest proportion of foreign-trained doctors within its workforce, as nearly 60 percent of doctors that work there had been trained outside the country. On the other hand, less than one percent of doctors working in Italy and Lithuania were trained abroad.

Which country has the most shortage of doctors?

Here is a list of countries that need doctors in 2023.
  • South Africa. Physicians per 1000: 0.79. ...
  • Timor Leste. Physicians per 1000: 0.77. ...
  • Egypt. Physicians per 1000: 0.75. ...
  • Myanmar. Physicians per 1000: 0.74. ...
  • Bangladesh. Physicians per 1000: 0.64. ...
  • Indonesia. Physicians per 1000: 0.47. ...
  • Bhutan. Physicians per 1000: 0.46. ...
  • Cote D'Ivorie.

Are Canadians considered IMGs?

When it comes to US medical residency positions, Canadians studying medicine abroad (CSAs) are considered international medical graduates (IMGs). This means they must undergo the same process for selection into US residency training as other IMGs who completed their schooling outside of the US.

DO US IMGs have an advantage?

Benefits of Being a US IMG

Visa Exemptions: US IMGs do not face the often complex and restrictive process of obtaining a work visa in the United States, unlike their non-US counterparts. This can simplify their transition into residency and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.

What percentage of doctors make it through residency?

Retention rates range from 27.2% in Wyoming to 77.7% in California.

Why does the U.S. limit the number of doctors?

Historically, the number of physicians in the United States has been deliberately limited in an attempt to avoid massive physician surpluses—but now, there is a growing shortage of doctors, which negatively affects the country's health care system and people's health, Derek Thompson writes for The Atlantic.

What percentage of doctors in the US are Native American?

With only 0.3% of physicians being of Native American descent, and even less providing care for the population in reservation, we are at a pivoting point to try to increase educating physicians in underserved communities. It has been shown that most Native American physicians do return to their roots to provide care.

Why are most doctors Indian?

The first reason is the respect for Indian medical degrees – Indian degree is valid in most Asian and Middle East countries and doctors of our country can work directly after getting registered there. The second reason is trust in Indian doctors.

What specialty has the most black doctors?

For example, obstetrics and gynecology, preventive medicine, and child and adolescent psychiatry were the most popular specialties for Black or African American physicians.

What percentage of US doctors are Chinese?

Diversity in Medicine: Facts and Figures 2019

Among active physicians, 56.2% identified as White, 17.1% identified as Asian, 5.8% identified as Hispanic, and 5.0% identified as Black or African American.

Is Canada the hardest country to become a doctor?

In 2021, about 18% of applicants received at least one offer of admission to a Canadian medical school. In the United States, MD-granting medical schools accepted double, or about 36% of applicants, in the same period.

Which country pays doctors the most in the world?

1. Luxembourg. Topping our list is Luxembourg, a small yet prosperous country known for its thriving economy and high standard of living. Doctors in Luxembourg enjoy some of the highest salaries in the world, along with excellent working conditions and ample opportunities for professional growth.