**Executive Summary**
This report provides an update on medical education in India, highlighting improvements in the doctor-population ratio, the increase in the number of medical colleges and seats, and the growth of registered nursing personnel. The information was released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on December 2, 2025, and includes data updated as of March 31, 2025, for nursing personnel. The report references Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS 2022) recommendations.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Doctor-Population Ratio:**
* Estimated at 1:811 based on the availability of Allopathic and AYUSH practitioners.
* WHO recommends a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1000.
* **Medical Colleges and Seats:**
* The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 to 818 since 2014.
* UG medical seats have grown from 51,348 to 1,28,875 since 2014.
* PG medical seats have increased from 31,185 to 82,059 over the past decade.
* **Nursing Personnel:**
* There are 42.94 lakh registered nursing personnel in the country as of March 31, 2025.
* 5,253 nursing institutions (809 government and 4444 private) produce nearly 3.87 lakh nurses annually.
* **Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022 Recommendations:**
* Provision of 1 bed per 1000 population.
* Ayushman Arogya Mandir-Primary Health Centre (AAM-PHC) with 6 indoor/observation beds for 20,000-30,000 population.
* Community Health Centres (CHCs) with 30 beds for 80,000-1,20,000 population.
* Sub-District Hospitals with 31-100 beds for 1,00,000-5,00,000 population.
* District Hospital with 101-500 beds for population up to 30,00,000.
* **Data Sources:**
* Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources), 2022-23.
* Rural Health Statistics (RHS) is an annual publication.
* Links provided to access details of health facilities, hospital beds, doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare**
* **Impact:** Responsible for disseminating information on medical education and healthcare infrastructure in India.
* **Action Required:** Continue monitoring and reporting on progress in medical education and healthcare standards.
**Medical Colleges and Institutions**
* **Impact:** Affected by changes in the number of available seats and requirements for nursing institutions.
* **Action Required:** Adjust intake of students based on seat availability, ensure compliance with Indian Nursing Council (INC) regulations, and maintain standards of education.
**Healthcare Professionals (Doctors and Nurses)**
* **Impact:** Directly impacted by changes in the doctor-population ratio and the availability of nursing personnel.
* **Action Required:** Doctors and nurses should stay abreast of advancements in the healthcare sector and contribute to improving the doctor-population ratio.
**Citizens of India**
* **Impact:** Affected by the doctor-population ratio and the availability of healthcare resources.
* **Action Required:** No direct action required; however, awareness of available healthcare services is beneficial.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Central ministry responsible for health policy in India.
Indian Nursing Council (INC): National regulatory body for nursing education and practice in India.
AYUSH: Systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS 2022): A set of standards for public health facilities.
Health Dynamics of India (HDI): An annual publication based on Health care administrative data formerly known as Rural Health Statistics (RHS).
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on Medical Education in India
India’s Doctor-Population Ratio estimated at 1:811 based on
availability of Allopathic and AYUSH practitioners
Number of Medical Colleges Rises from 387 to 818, since
2014
Significant growth in UG Medical Seats, increasing from
51,348 to 1,28,875 since 2014
PG Medical Seats Grow Substantially from 31,185 to 82,059
over the past decade
As per Indian Nursing Council, there are 42.94 lakh registered
nursing personnel, supported by 5,253 nursing institutions
producing nearly 3.87 lakh nurses annually
प्रव तथ: 02 DEC 2025 4:38PM by PIB Delhi
As per Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS 2022) recommend provision of 1 bed per 1000
population, Ayushman Arogya Mandir- Primary Health Centre (AAM-PHC) with 6 indoor/
observation beds is to be established to cover 20,000 to 30,000 population, Community Health
Centres (CHCs) with 30 beds to cover population of 80,000-1,20,000, Sub-District Hospitals with
31-100 beds to cover population of 1,00,000 - 5,00,000 and District Hospital with 101-500 beds to
cover population upto 30,00,000.
As of now, there are 13,86,150 registered allopathic doctors. The Ministry of AYUSH has informed
that there are 7,51,768 registered practitioners in the AYUSH system of medicine. Assuming that
80% of registered practitioners in both the allopathic and AYUSH systems are available, the doctor-
population ratio in the country is estimated to be 1:811. It is worth to note that the World Health
Organization (WHO) recommends a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1000.
There has been significant increase in Medical Colleges, Under Graduate(UG) and Post
Graduate(PG) seats in the country. There is an increase in Medical Colleges from 387 to 818; UG
seats from 51,348 to 1,28,875 and PG seats from 31,185 to 82,059 from 2014 to as on date.
As informed by Indian Nursing Council (INC), there are 42.94 lakh nursing personnel are registered
in the country as on 31st march, 2025. There are 5253 Nursing institutions including 809
government and 4444 private institutions producing nearly 3.87 lakh nursing personnel annually, to
meet the requirement of nursing personnel in the country.Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources), 2022-23, formerly known as
Rural Health Statistics (RHS) is an annual publication, based on Health care administrative data
reported by States/UTs. Details of health facilities and hospital beds therein functioning in rural
areas, details of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff can be accessed at the following links:
Sl. RHS/HDI Link
No.
1. RHS 2019- https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/RHS%202019-20_2.pdf
20
2. RHS 2020- https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/rhs20-21_2.pdf
21
3. RHS 2021- https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/RHS%202021-22_2.pdf
22
4. HDI 2022- https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dyna
23 mics%20of%20India%20%
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a
written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
****
SR
HFW/ Update on Medical Education in India/2025/2
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2197614) आगंतुक पटल : 1895
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