How much do doctors earn? Average salaries for MDs by country

The question of doctors’ salaries has come into sharp focus over the last few years and was a particularly hot topic during the covid-19 pandemic, which saw hospitals and their staff all around the world overwhelmed by the number of patients they had to attend to.

Healthcare staff strike across the globe

Thankfully, patient numbers are generally down across the board, although healthcare staff in many countries still feel as if they are overworked and hospitals are understaffed, leading to strikes in a number of European countries, including Spain, Belgium and England, among others.

Money is, of course, not the be all and end all, with many workers complaining about conditions as much as they are salaries. However, a recent list posted by World of Statistics on X (Twitter to you traditionalists) has revealed the huge disparity between average doctor salaries in selected nations around the globe.

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What is the average doctor salary in the United States?

Switzerland leads the way by some distance from the United States, the second country on the list. The average doctor salary of $316,000 is almost six times more than the national average of $53,490, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

What is the average doctor salary in Mexico?

Northern neighbours Canada lag a long way behind but still offer some of the highest salaries around, in sharp contrast to southern neighbours Mexico. Doctors there earn an average of $12,000 a year, which is still more than the average salary of €7,299 (according to Expansión).