Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals whose main role is managing the distribution of medicines to consumers/patients and supporting their safe and efficacious use. Between 2013 and 2023, the average number of practising pharmacists per capita in OECD countries increased by 10%, to 86 pharmacists per 100 000 population (Figure 9.4). However, the density of pharmacists varied widely, ranging from a low of 18 per 100 000 in Colombia to 203 per 100 000 in Japan. Among OECD countries, the highest growth rate in pharmacist density between 2013 and 2023 was observed in Chile, where the number of pharmacists more than doubled.
Most pharmacists work in community pharmacies, but many also work in hospitals and industry, as well as in research and academic settings. In Canada, for example, in 2023 77% of practising pharmacists worked in community pharmacies, while 23% worked in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In Japan, around 59% of pharmacists worked in community pharmacies in 2022, while around 19% worked in hospitals or clinics, and the remaining 22% in other settings.
The role of the community pharmacist has expanded in recent years. In addition to dispensing medications, pharmacists are increasingly providing a range of other healthcare services (such as vaccinations, medicine adherence and chronic disease management support, and home medication review), both in community pharmacies and as part of integrated healthcare provider teams. For example, in several Canadian provinces, the United Kingdom, many parts of the United States and in Australia, community pharmacists (with the required qualifications) are permitted to assess patients with certain minor conditions and independently prescribe them medications. The expansion of the authorised scope of practice of community pharmacists was accelerated in many countries in response to COVID‑19 (OECD, 2021[1]), and in some cases, it has been maintained. In France, for example, some of the exceptional authorisations granted to pharmacists during the pandemic have since been made permanent, giving them an expanded role in renewing prescriptions, prescribing for minor conditions, and administering vaccines. In Scotland (United Kingdom), the Pharmacy First scheme allows pharmacists to manage common minor ailments (WPC, 2023[2]).
In 2023, the number of community pharmacies per 100 000 population ranged from 9 in Denmark to 102 in Greece, with an average of 29 across OECD countries with comparable data (Figure 9.5). For most countries there has not been much change over time, although one exception is Denmark, where community pharmacy density increased by 60% between 2013 and 2023. The variation in community pharmacy density across countries can be explained in part by differences in common distribution channels. For example, some countries rely more on hospital pharmacies to dispense medicines to outpatients. Denmark has fewer community pharmacies, but these are often large, and include branch pharmacies and subsidiary pharmacy units attached to a principal pharmacy. Denmark, along with a number of European countries (such as Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain) regulate the establishment of new pharmacies based on population or distance criteria. In Australia, with an average of around 23 community pharmacies per 100 000 population, the minimum distance between pharmacies is regulated. The range of products and services provided by pharmacies also varies between countries. In most European countries, for example, pharmacies also sell cosmetics, food supplements, medical devices and homeopathic products.
