Number of active physicians by specialty

Internal medicine boasts the highest number of physicians of any specialty, according to the Association of American Medical College’s “2022 Physician Specialty Data Report.”

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The report is based on data from the American Medical Association, the U.S. Census Bureau, and a national resident database and tracking system. Overall, it covers about 950,000 physicians and physicians in training among 48 of the largest specialties in 2021, according to a Jan. 12 AAMC news release. 

Here’s the number of active physicians by specialty

  • Internal medicine: 120,342
  • Family medicine: 118,641
  • Pediatrics: 60,305
  • Emergency medicine: 46,857
  • OB-GYN: 42,496
  • Anesthesiology: 42,264
  • Psychiatry: 38,424
  • Radiology and diagnostic radiology: 27,197
  • General surgery: 24,881
  • Cardiovascular disease: 22,262
  • Ophthalmology: 18,948
  • Orthopedic surgery: 18,469
  • Hematology and oncology: 16,673
  • Gastroenterology: 15,678
  • Critical care: 14,159
  • Neurology: 13,853
  • Dermatology: 12,767
  • Anatomic/clinical pathology: 12,180
  • Nephrology: 11,554
  • Urology: 10,081
  • Child and adolescent psychiatry: 9,966
  • Infectious disease: 9,913
  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 9,724
  • Otolaryngology: 9,616
  • Endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism: 8,246
  • Plastic surgery: 7,228
  • Preventive medicine: 6,555
  • Rheumatology : 6,420
  • Pain Management: 6,240
  • Geriatric medicine: 6,149
  • Neonatal medicine: 6,056
  • Neurological surgery: 5,748
  • Internal medicine/pediatrics: 5,701
  • Radiation oncology: 5,376
  • Allergy and immunology: 5,009
  • Pulmonary disease: 4,867
  • Interventional cardiology: 4,736
  • Thoracic surgery: 4,449
  • Neuroradiology: 4,311
  • Vascular surgery: 4,039
  • Vascular and interventional radiology: 4,011
  • Sports medicine: 3,208
  • Pediatric hematology/oncology: 3,179
  • Sports medicine: 3,065
  • Pediatric cardiology: 2,993
  • Pediatric anesthesiology: 2,843
  • Pediatric critical care medicine: 2,774
  • Clinical cardiac electrophysiology: 2,632
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