Hospital bed availability declined across comparable countries
Across countries with data in both 2010 and 2024, the average fell by 69.89 available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
Hospital beds across Europe
How hospital bed availability has changed across Europe
This page tracks available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants across European countries from 2010 to 2024. The indicator covers available beds in hospitals and adjusts the total for population size, making differences in hospital capacity easier to compare across countries.
Across the 30 countries with data available in both 2010 and 2024, the average declined from 521.37 to 451.48 available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants. The overall decline was broad, but countries followed very different paths and several recorded increases instead.
Explore the data
Key insights
Bulgaria and Germany recorded the highest latest levels
Bulgaria recorded 870.32 available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, followed by Germany at 758.59.
Long-term changes differed sharply between countries
Bulgaria recorded the largest increase between 2010 and 2024, while Finland recorded the largest decline among comparable countries.
Key comparisons
Selected highlights from the hospital beds dataset, 2010β2024.
Extended analysis
1) Hospital bed availability declined across the comparable-country sample
Across the 30 countries with values available in both 2010 and 2024, the average declined from 521.37 to 451.48 available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants. This represents a decrease of 69.89 beds per 100,000 inhabitants across the comparable-country sample.
Because the indicator is standardised by population size, it allows countries with very different populations to be compared more directly. It measures available hospital bed capacity rather than hospital activity, occupancy or the quality of care provided.
2) Bulgaria and Germany recorded the highest 2024 levels
In 2024, the highest values in the dataset were recorded in Bulgaria (870.32), Germany (758.59), Romania (730.74), Austria (655.11) and Czechia (639.48) available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
Higher values indicate greater hospital bed capacity relative to population size. They do not automatically imply better health outcomes because healthcare systems differ in how strongly they rely on inpatient care, outpatient treatment and other forms of service delivery.
3) Sweden, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands recorded the lowest 2024 levels
The lowest values in 2024 were recorded in Sweden (186.63), Liechtenstein (220.02), the Netherlands (221.19), Denmark (226.28) and Finland (247.53) available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
Low bed density should therefore not be interpreted in isolation as weak healthcare capacity. It can also reflect differences in treatment models, lengths of hospital stays, outpatient provision and the organisation of health services.
4) Bulgaria and Romania moved against the broader downward trend
Between 2010 and 2024, the largest increases were recorded in Bulgaria (+208.66), Romania (+65.27), Ireland (+19.84) and Liechtenstein (+3.48) available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
Most comparable countries recorded a decline over the same period. These endpoint comparisons show the net change between 2010 and 2024 and do not imply that each national series followed a smooth path between those years.
5) Finland recorded the largest decline
The largest declines between 2010 and 2024 were recorded in Finland (β338.26), the Netherlands (β190.78), Lithuania (β180.89), Luxembourg (β145.17) and Denmark (β117.27) available hospital beds per 100,000 inhabitants.
A decline in available beds does not by itself show whether healthcare performance improved or worsened. Changes can occur alongside shifts toward outpatient treatment, shorter hospital stays, changes in care models or broader restructuring of hospital systems.
How to read this indicator
The indicator measures available beds in hospitals per 100,000 inhabitants. It covers hospital beds that are maintained, staffed and immediately available for patient care. The population adjustment makes the indicator suitable for comparisons between countries of different sizes.
Higher values mean more available hospital beds relative to the population. They should not automatically be interpreted as better healthcare, since countries organise inpatient, outpatient and long-term care differently.
The supplied dataset covers 2010β2024. Denmark has no observations for 2012, 2014 and 2015, although values are available for both 2010 and 2024. Iceland has no value for 2024 and is therefore excluded from rankings and averages covering the full 2010β2024 period. The time series shows each country for the years for which data are available.