Abstract In sub-Saharan African countries, out-of-pocket payments can be a major barrier to accessing appropriate healthcare services. Community-based health insurance (CBHI) has emerged as a context-appropriate risk-pooling mechanism to provide some financial protection to populations without access to formal health insurance. The aim of this rapid review was to examine the peer-reviewed literature on the impact of CBHI on the use of healthcare services as well as its capacity to improve equity in the use of healthcare between different socio-economic groups. A systematic search of three electronic databases (Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Littérature en Santé) was performed. Data were extracted on scheme and study characteristics, as well as the impact of the schemes on relevant outcomes. Sixteen publications met the inclusion criteria, studying schemes from seven different countries. They provide strong evidence that community-based health insurance can contribute to improving access to outpatient care and weak evidence that they improve access to inpatient care. There was low evidence on their capacity to improve equity in access to healthcare among insured members. In the absence of sufficient public spending for healthcare, such schemes may be able to provide some valuable benefits for communities with limited access to primary-level care in sub-Saharan Africa. The overall high risk of bias of the studies and the wide existing variety of insurance arrangements suggest caution in generalizing these results. These findings need to be validated and further developed by rigorous studies.