China surpasses physician workforce target with 5.29m licensed doctors

China had 5.29 million licensed physicians by the end of 2025, surpassing the target set under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.

Compared with 2021, the physician workforce has shown notable improvements across key indicators, including the proportion of those with postgraduate degrees, the share holding at least a bachelor's degree, and the percentage occupying senior technical positions.

In 2025, the total number of visits to medical and healthcare institutions across China exceeded 10.6 billion.

Meanwhile, the country's major health indicators have advanced to the forefront among both middle and high-income countries and nations with a population of over 100 million, reaching an all-time high.

The commission released the data on the nation's ninth Doctors' Day, which is celebrated annually on Aug 19.

The commission added that China has continued to make steady progress in healthcare quality and safety in recent years, with a range of relevant indicators improving year by year.

The commission said it will continue to advance the high-quality development of the physician workforce, while calling on society as a whole to respect and value the contributions of physicians.