What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess global access to veterinarians and identify geographic disparities in veterinary services.

February 13, 2026Open Access

A global map of travel time to access veterinarians

Key Points

To assess global access to veterinarians and identify geographic disparities in veterinary services.
Web-scraped 303,745 addresses of veterinary practices across 115 countries.
Utilized geospatial models to create a global distribution map at 10×10 km resolution.
Analyzed travel time to access veterinarians and correlated it with income levels of countries.
93.8% of animals living over one hour from veterinarians are in low- and middle-income countries.
A 5% increase in veterinarians could reduce isolated animals by 32.9% if efforts are geographically targeted.
Maps provide a baseline for improving access to veterinary care and enhancing disease surveillance.

Abstract

Veterinarians play a vital role in providing healthcare, detecting zoonotic outbreaks, and safeguarding the livelihood of those relying on animals for subsistence. However, veterinary capacities are unequal between countries, and their geography is seldom documented despite significant implications for healthcare access. Here, we web-scrape 303,745 addresses of veterinary practices from 115 countries and use geospatial models to map their global distribution at 10×10 km. Animals located more than one hour from veterinarians are overwhelmingly (93.8%) in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, the number of isolated animals could be reduced by 32.9% by increasing the number of veterinarians by 5%, provided that this effort is geographically targeted. Our maps provide a global baseline to allocate resources to improve access to care, enhance veterinary education, and strengthen disease surveillance.

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