Physicians' Ranks Increasing, Growing older

The number of actively licensed physicians has grown, but those physicians are also growing older, according to a Federation of State Medical Boards report published in the Journal of Medical Regulation. The report, "A Census of Actively Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2012," shows the total population of licensed physicians in 2012 was 878,194, a net increase of 28,209 physicians, or 3 percent, from 2010.

While there are more physicians now than in 2010, those physicians are aging. The population of actively licensed physicians grew faster in the older age groups than in the younger, according to the report.

The following is a breakdown of the percent of physicians in each age group, comparing 2010 and 2012 census data provided by the report.

Under 40 years old
2010: 23.3 percent
2012: 22.2 percent

40-49 years old
2010: 24.9 percent
2012: 24.6 percent

50-59 years old
2010: 24.8 percent
2012: 24.5 percent

60+ years old
2010: 24.4 percent
2012: 26.3 percent

Age unknown
2010: 2.6 percent
2012: 2.4 percent

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