Health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Health system composite index was -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024. ▼ Falling
Health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1980–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Analysis
In 2024, health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1986 and was at its lowest, -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean, in 1999.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 43rd of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | standard deviations from the yearly mean | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -1.16 standard deviations from the yearly mean | — |
| 1981 | -1.11 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.9% |
| 1982 | -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.2% |
| 1983 | -1.14 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.3% |
| 1984 | -1.11 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.4% |
| 1985 | -1.12 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.4% |
| 1986 | -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.9% |
| 1987 | -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.6% |
| 1988 | -1.15 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.7% |
| 1989 | -1.19 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.2% |
| 1990 | -1.3 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.4% |
| 1991 | -1.32 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.2% |
| 1992 | -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.2% |
| 1993 | -1.42 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.7% |
| 1994 | -1.41 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8% |
| 1995 | -1.49 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.6% |
| 1996 | -1.51 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.3% |
| 1997 | -1.5 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.9% |
| 1998 | -1.56 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.1% |
| 1999 | -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.2% |
| 2000 | -1.61 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.6% |
| 2001 | -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.5% |
| 2002 | -1.63 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.4% |
| 2003 | -1.62 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7% |
| 2004 | -1.57 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.0% |
| 2005 | -1.59 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.2% |
| 2006 | -1.56 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.1% |
| 2007 | -1.55 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.2% |
| 2008 | -1.49 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.9% |
| 2009 | -1.35 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -9.5% |
| 2010 | -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.4% |
| 2011 | -1.48 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.7% |
| 2012 | -1.57 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.3% |
| 2013 | -1.57 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.3% |
| 2014 | -1.52 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.7% |
| 2015 | -1.52 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.1% |
| 2016 | -1.47 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.2% |
| 2017 | -1.43 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.9% |
| 2018 | -1.42 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.4% |
| 2019 | -1.37 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.3% |
| 2020 | -1.31 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.9% |
| 2021 | -1.22 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -6.4% |
| 2022 | -1.3 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.4% |
| 2023 | -1.42 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +9.1% |
| 2024 | -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -1.13 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.19 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.46 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.3 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.56 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.35 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.47 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.57 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.37 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.33 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.42 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.22 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 40 Austria 0.7714 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 41 Malta 0.7662 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 42 Uruguay 0.7648 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 43 New Zealand 0.7351 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 44 Netherlands 0.7319 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 45 Armenia 0.7297 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 46 Antigua and Barbuda 0.7271 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2041 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Health system composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was -1.4 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest health system composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was -1.1 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1986.
- What is the lowest health system composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.64 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 1999.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for health system composite index?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 43rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is health system composite index rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Health system composite index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total; Physicians per 1000 people; Hospital beds per 1000 people; Immunization, measles. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.
Equal-weighted mean of the standardised inputs below.
Computed from
- Life expectancy at birth, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people World Health Organization (WHO) data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
- Immunization, measles World Health Organization (WHO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total; Physicians per 1000 people; Hospital beds per 1000 people; Immunization, measles. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.