Physicians, total — all countries

Physicians, total — Sub-Saharan Africa

Physicians, total in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024 — 279,997 people. Since 2004, the indicator has risen by 279.9%.

2024 279,997 people −0.42% vs 2022
World rank —
Period maximum 281,168 people2022
Period minimum 73,695 people2004

Trend over time

2004–2024 · people

Physicians, total — Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004–20240100,000200,000300,000200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242004: 73,695 people2018: 190,620 people2020: 113,506 people2022: 281,168 people2024: 279,997 people
Change over the period: +206,302 (+279.94%) Average annual rate: 6.9 %
Physicians, total — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2024 279,997 — —
2022 281,168 — —
2020 113,506 — —
2018 190,620 — —
2004 73,695 — —

About the indicator

The number of practicing physicians, from the WHO Global Health Observatory. The World Bank republishes only the density — physicians per thousand people — so the absolute number is available directly from WHO alone. Physicians of all specialties are counted, general practitioners and specialists included.

Important: The definition of a practicing physician differs across national registers: some countries include those working in administration and research. Physicians per thousand people is a separate indicator and suits comparison between countries better.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.