Obstetrics & Gynecology Physician: how many are there, and how many are in private practice?

National totals

What this specialty covers

An obstetrician/gynecologist possesses special knowledge, skills and professional capability in the medical and surgical care of the female reproductive system and associated disorders. This physician serves as a consultant to other physicians and as a primary physician for women.

Reading the sole-proprietor share

For this specialty, 8,231 active NPI records, or 14.6%, are flagged as sole proprietors in NPPES. Because this is a self-reported NPPES field, it is an imperfect proxy for private practice and does not establish whether a physician owns a practice, works independently, or is employed by a group or health system.

By state

New NPI registrations by year

Counts reflect the year each NPI was first issued, among records still active today. The final year is partial: this data covers through 2026-01-11.

Data notes

• The sole-proprietor field is self-reported by the provider in NPPES and is an imperfect proxy for private practice.
• A sole-proprietor count shown as <11 is suppressed: the true value is below 11, which could include zero.
• The total is limited to active NPI records with this taxonomy as the primary classification; clinicians may use other taxonomies or provide related care outside this classification.
• First-enumeration year tracks NPI registration timing, not necessarily the start of clinical practice or a change in the active provider population.
• Providers are counted once, by their primary taxonomy code only.

Source: CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Data Dissemination file, FOIA-disclosable public data under CMS-6060-N. Aggregated by Hero EMR on 2026-08-03; deactivated NPIs excluded; specialty assigned from the primary taxonomy code (NUCC 25.1). Counts below 11 are suppressed. Individual providers are never published. All provider data pages.

Common questions