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.