The charts provide information on doctors in Australia in three different years: 1986, 1996, and 2006.
Overall, the number of doctors rose gradually across the three decades. Meanwhile, the profession became more balanced in terms of gender, whereas the proportion of doctors from abroad increased considerably.
In terms of numbers, there were 23,720 doctors in 1986. This figure then increased moderately to 29,060 in 1996, before reaching 35,450 by the end of the period.
Looking at the gender, men made up the highest share of doctors (75%) in 1986, while women accounted for just around 25%. By 2006, the percentage of male doctors dropped significantly to 60%, as opposed to female doctors whose figures grew considerably to 40%.
A similar pattern can be seen in place of birth. In 1986, around 60% of doctors were born in Australia, compared to nearly 40% born overseas. Over time, the share of Australian-born doctors declined, while that of over-seas born doctors increased, with both groups accounting for 50% of the workforce in the final year.