Burkina Faso: Physicians (per 1,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Burkina Faso's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.05 on 2021 (from 0.1 to 0.15).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2021), the average change was +0.00463 and a typical year strayed about 0.007 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.05 in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.007 in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.00944 a year. A straight line explains 88% 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.

How it compares

In 2022, Burkina Faso had the 69th highest value of the 77 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Burkina Faso in the 2022 ranking

• Mozambique — 66th of 77: 0.18
• Congo, Rep. — 67th of 77: 0.17
• Madagascar — 68th of 77: 0.17
• Cameroon — 70th of 77: 0.14
• Sierra Leone — 71st of 77: 0.13
• Tanzania — 72nd of 77: 0.13

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 28 values

Physicians (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.24 (2022)
• Benin — 0.22 (2023)
• Botswana — 0.38 (2023)
• Burundi — 0.08 (2022)
• Cabo Verde — 0.73 (2023)
• Cameroon — 0.14 (2022)
• Central African Republic — 0.07 (2023)
• Chad — 0.09 (2023)
• Comoros — 0.42 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 0.21 (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 0.17 (2022)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More health data for Burkina Faso

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 13.81% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 14.33% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 4.88 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 40.41% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 5.03 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 41.94% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 9.91 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 41.17% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.56% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's physicians (per 1,000 people)?

0.15 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1,245% from 0.01 in 1960 (4.28% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.15 in 2022 and the lowest 0.004 in 1986.

How does Burkina Faso rank?

69th highest of 77 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in physicians (per 1,000 people) unusual for Burkina Faso?

In 2022, Burkina Faso's physicians (per 1,000 people) rose 0.05 on 2021 (from 0.1 to 0.15). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2021), the average change was +0.00463 and a typical year strayed about 0.007 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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