Australians living in capital cities have good access to health care. In 2016, approximately 66,780 doctors were working (by place of work) in the Australian Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (referred to here as capital cities). In the same year, there were approximately 174,950 nurses working (by place of work) in the Australian capital cities, suggesting an average of 2.6 nurses for every doctor.

A higher number of medical professionals per resident population can be suggestive of better access to healthcare. Whilst the majority of workers these occupations were located in Sydney or Melbourne (of the capital cities), the comparison between the number of medical professionals and the size of the resident population suggests residents in Adelaide and Hobart experience the highest levels of access to healthcare of Australians living in capital cities.

Access to Healthcare Indicators, 2016