The table depicts the number of doctors, while the two bar charts illustrate the percentage of them, segmented by gender and nationality in 1986, 1996, and 2006.
Overall, Australia recorded a marked increase in the number of doctors across the years, with Australian doctors consistently outnumbering foreign ones. In addition, the gender gap among doctors tended to narrow, with the figures for both genders showing various fluctuations.
In 1986, the total number of doctors stood at 300,000, 55% of whom were male compared to another 45% for female. The year 1996 recorded a significant increase to 640,000 doctors, before rising to 800,000 in 2006, more than double after 30 years. In 1996, the proportion for female doctors rose sharply to more than a half (56%), surpassing males at just 44%. However, the gender difference was then reduced to just 3%, registering 51% for males and 48% for females in 2006.
As for country of origin, in 1986, a massive 61% of doctors were Australian, while only 39% of them came from another country. A decade later, the figure for Australian doctors slightly fell by 3% to 58%, but still 16% higher than that for overseas doctors at 42%. Finally, the gap was widened again as Australian doctors represented a substantial 61% again in 2006, whereas doctors born outside the country accounted for 39%.