A persistent lack of physician diversity is quietly fueling disparities in health care access and outcomes across communities of color. According to analysis from KFF, Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals remain starkly underrepresented among physicians, despite growing demand for racially concordant care.
The mismatch is most striking for Hispanic people. Though they represent 20% of the U.S. population, they make up only 7% of the physician workforce. In states like New Mexico, where Hispanics constitute nearly half the population, they account for just 17% of physicians—a gap of 31 percentage points. Similarly, Black Americans are 12% of the population but just 6% of physicians nationwide, with particularly wide disparities in the Southeast and D.C.
These gaps have real consequences. Data show that racial concordance between patients and doctors is linked to increased preventive care, better treatment adherence, and even reduced mortality. Yet most Hispanic, Black, Asian, and AIAN adults report that fewer than half of their health care visits were with a provider who shared their racial or ethnic background.
Policy changes may be compounding the problem. The Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end race-conscious college admissions has already led to a drop in medical school matriculation rates among underrepresented groups. As federal diversity initiatives face rollbacks, the physician pipeline appears increasingly vulnerable—threatening progress toward equitable care.
See: “Physician Workforce Diversity by Race and Ethnicity” (Jul 22, 2025)
