Bosnia and Herzegovina: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Bosnia and Herzegovina's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.13 on 2018 (from 2.46 to 2.58).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2018), the average change was +0.06 and a typical year strayed about 0.06 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.29 in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.009 in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.08 a year. A straight line explains 92% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 2.71 for 2022. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2017 to 2019 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.13, against 0.26 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

Closest to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2019 ranking

• Maldives — 2nd of 5: 2.24
• Myanmar — 3rd of 5: 0.76
• Cambodia — 4th of 5: 0.21

What this measures

Physicians include generalist and specialist medical practitioners.

Limitations: The WHO compiles data from household and labor force surveys, censuses, and administrative records. Data comparability is limited by differences in definitions and training of medical personnel varies. In addition, human resources tend to be concentrated in urban areas, so that average densities do not provide a full picture of health personnel available to the entire population.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 30 values

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Albania — 1.88 (2020)
• Andorra — 5.07 (2023)
• Armenia — 3.36 (2022)
• Austria — 5.52 (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 3.19 (2022)
• Belarus — 4.72 (2023)
• Belgium — 3.57 (2022)
• Bulgaria — 4.33 (2022)
• Croatia — 3.91 (2022)
• Cyprus — 3.56 (2022)
• Czechia — 4.35 (2022)
• Denmark

More health data for Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.63% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.26% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 194,771 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 11.84% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 208,686 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 13.96% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 403,456 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 12.85% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bosnia and Herzegovina's physicians (per 1,000 people)?

2.58 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 150.15% from 1.03 in 1980 (2.38% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.58 in 2019 and the lowest 1.03 in 1980.

Is the latest change in physicians (per 1,000 people) unusual for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Workforce Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Country data Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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