A global map of travel time to access veterinarians.

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 km². 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.