India’s doctor-population
♦ India’s doctor-population ratio has improved to 1:811, surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 1:1000, according to data shared by the Union government in Parliament on 10 February 2026. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said the country currently has 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered AYUSH practitioners. Assuming that 80 percent of registered practitioners in both systems are actively available, the estimated doctor-population ratio stands at 1:811. ♦ The Minister said the data is based on Health Dynamics of India (Infrastructure & Human Resources) 2022–23, an annual publication compiled using healthcare administrative data reported by states and Union Territories. According to figures from the Indian Nursing Council (INC), India has 39.40 lakh nursing personnel. Assuming 80 per cent of them are active, the nurse-to-population ratio works out to 2.23 nurses per 1,000 population. ♦ To meet the growing demand for nursing professionals, the country currently has 5,310 nursing institutions, including 806 government-run institutions, which together produce nearly 3.82 lakh nursing personnel annually, the Minister said.