When Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda told the Lok Sabha on December 2, 2025 that India’s doctor-population ratio has improved to 1:811, it appeared to be a big win for India.

After all, the WHO recommends 1:1000. On paper, India is doing better.

And technically, the number is correct.

There are 13,86,145 allopathic doctors registered with State Medical Councils and NMC (as of Nov 2025).

Government assumes 80% availability, which means, there are roughly 11.08 lakh active MBBS doctors. Add to this, 6.14 lakh AYUSH doctors, making the total pool come down to about 17.2 lakh doctors.

When we divide by India’s 2024 projected population, the ratio comes down to 1 doctor per 811 people. It sounds spectacular.

But the truth behind this number is that the national averages hide nat

See Full Page