Quantitative analysis of global veterinary human resources.

This analysis of global veterinary personnel was based on the available quantitative data reported by individual countries to international organisations. The analysis begins with a time series of globally reported numbers of veterinarians, starting in the year 1959 (140,391). In 2000 this number reached 691,379. Of this total, 27.77% of veterinarians were working as government officials, 15.38% were working in laboratories, universities and training institutions and 46.33% were working as private practitioners. The ratio of veterinarians to technicians was 1:0.63. The global average of resources serviced by each veterinarian was as follows: 8,760 inhabitants; 189 km2 of land area and 20 km2 of arable land; 1,925 cattle, 242 buffaloes, 87 horses, 1,309 pigs, 1,533 sheep and 20,714 chickens; in abattoirs: 401 slaughtered cattle, 699 slaughtered sheep and 1,674 slaughtered pigs; the production of 336 tonnes (t) of meat, 708 t cow milk and 74 t hen eggs; in international trade: 12 cattle, 23 sheep, 22 pigs, 1 horse, 1,086 chickens, 33 t meat and meat products; 2,289 units of livestock (50 minutes of annual veterinary working time for each unit). These averages were also analysed according to employment categories. The author also discusses factors influencing veterinary personnel analyses and planning.