The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) explained
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory is a free, research-validated questionnaire that measures burnout as exhaustion in three areas of life. It powers our burnout test. Here is how it works.
Where it comes from
The CBI was developed at Denmark’s National Institute of Occupational Health (now the National Research Centre for the Working Environment, NFA) for the PUMA study — a study of burnout, motivation and job satisfaction among 1,917 people working in human service professions, including social workers, hospital employees, prison staff, home helpers and staff caring for people with long-term disabilities. It was published by Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen and Christensen in Work & Stress in 2005.
The developers defined burnout as the degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion a person experiences, and what they attribute it to. That is a narrower, more practical focus than some other tools: it centres on exhaustion, the core feature that most definitions share.
The three scales
| Scale | Items | Question style | Example question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal burnout | 6 | How often… | “How often do you feel worn out?” |
| Work-related burnout | 7 | Mix of degree and frequency | “Do you feel burnt out because of your work?” |
| Client-related burnout | 6 | Mix of degree and frequency | “Does it drain your energy to work with clients?” |
The scales can be used independently. Anyone can answer the personal scale; the work scale is for people in work; the client scale is for people whose work involves serving others — patients, customers, students, residents.
How it is scored
Answers use a five-point scale. Frequency questions run from always to never/almost never; degree questions from to a very high degree to to a very low degree. Each answer is converted to points:
| Frequency answer | Degree answer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Always | To a very high degree | 100 |
| Often | To a high degree | 75 |
| Sometimes | Somewhat | 50 |
| Seldom | To a low degree | 25 |
| Never / almost never | To a very low degree | 0 |
One work-related question — “Do you have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time?” — is reverse scored, because a positive answer means less burnout. Each scale score is the average of its items, giving a result from 0 to 100. If someone answers too few questions on a scale (fewer than three on the personal and client scales, fewer than four on the work scale), the NFA guidance treats that scale as unanswered.
What a score of 50 means
In the PUMA study report, the researchers defined a high degree of burnout as 50 points or more. On the personal scale, 50 corresponds roughly to answering “sometimes” on average. It is a research threshold for comparing groups rather than a clinical cut-off, but it is a useful marker for individuals: a score at or above 50 suggests exhaustion is a regular part of your life and worth acting on.
The PUMA follow-up also linked higher work-related burnout scores with more sickness absence over the following three years — evidence that the scores relate to real-world outcomes.
Is the CBI free to use?
Yes. The NFA states that the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory may be used freely for non-commercial and commercial purposes, provided the PUMA study source is clearly cited (Borritz et al., Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2006). Validation studies in other languages, including Brazilian Portuguese and Malay, describe it as a public domain instrument — one reason it is popular with researchers and workplaces.
Limitations
- Self-report. Scores reflect how you describe your experience, which can be influenced by mood on the day.
- Exhaustion focus. The CBI does not separately measure cynicism or reduced efficacy, which the WHO definition includes.
- Not diagnostic. It does not distinguish burnout from depression, anxiety or physical illness.
- Language and culture. It was developed in Danish; translations have been validated in many languages, and some studies found individual items behave differently in some groups — for example the leisure-energy item in the Malay validation.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory?
19: six on personal burnout, seven on work-related burnout and six on client-related burnout.
What is a high CBI score?
In the PUMA study, the developers defined a high degree of burnout as 50 points or more on the 0–100 scale.
Is the CBI better than the Maslach Burnout Inventory?
They measure burnout differently. The MBI is the most widely used research tool and covers exhaustion, cynicism and efficacy; it is a commercial product. The CBI focuses on exhaustion in three life areas and is free to use. Both are research tools, not diagnoses.
Need to talk to someone now? If you are thinking about suicide or harming yourself, or someone is in immediate danger, call 995 or go to the nearest A&E.
- Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): call 1767 or WhatsApp CareText 9151 1767 — 24 hours
- National mindline 1771: call 1771, WhatsApp 6669 1771 or webchat at mindline.sg — 24 hours
- Institute of Mental Health (IMH) helpline: 6389 2222 — 24 hours
- Outside Singapore: find a free, confidential helpline in your country at findahelpline.com
More options: get help now.
Please note: This is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. Burnout shares symptoms with depression, anxiety and physical conditions such as thyroid problems or anaemia, so persistent symptoms deserve a check with a doctor. Full disclaimer.
Sources
- Kristensen TS, Borritz M, Villadsen E, Christensen KB. "The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: a new tool for the assessment of burnout." Work & Stress 2005;19(3):192–207
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA), Denmark, "Copenhagen Burnout Inventory – CBI"
- NFA, "Copenhagen Burnout Inventory – scales" (item wording, response scales and scoring)
- Borritz M, Kristensen TS. "Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: normative data from a representative Danish population on Personal Burnout and results from the PUMA study" (2004)
- Borritz M, Rugulies R, Christensen KB, Villadsen E, Kristensen TS. "Burnout as a predictor of self-reported sickness absence among human service workers: prospective findings from three year follow up of the PUMA study." Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;63(2):98–106
- Psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in healthcare professionals (open access, PMC)
- Investigating validity evidence of the Malay translation of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (open access, PMC)