Data extracted in July 2024.
Planned article update: September 2025.
Highlights
In 2022, France reported the highest number of day care places relative to population size among EU countries, at 125 per 100 000 inhabitants.
In 2022, Greece reported the highest number of CT scanners, 4.9, and MRI machines, 3.7, per 100 000 inhabitants.
Relative to population size, more PET (positron emission tomography) scans were performed in 2022 in Denmark than in any other EU country, at 1 600 scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
Use of imaging equipment – number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 2022
This article presents an overview of European Union (EU) statistics related to the availability of technical facilities as well as the availability and use of medical technology. The technical facilities presented include day care places and operating theatres, while the medical technology concerns a variety of equipment used for diagnostic imaging (for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units) and treatment (for example, radiation therapy equipment).
This article is 1 of a set of statistical articles concerning healthcare resources in the EU which forms part of an online publication on Health in the European Union – facts and figures.
Availability of technical resources in hospitals
Table 1 provides information concerning the number of day care places in hospitals in 2022 for 20 of the 27 EU countries. It should be noted that day care services are not exclusively provided in hospitals and some may also be offered in other healthcare facilities, such as independent day care centres or ambulatory premises; these are not covered by the data presented here. Among the EU countries for which data are available, by far the highest number of day care places was recorded in France (85 015 places), followed by Germany (32 905), Spain (22 116), Italy (12 350) and Belgium (11 967).
Relative to population size, France had the highest number of day care places among EU countries
France also had the highest number of day care places in hospitals relative to population size, with 124.9 places per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022. Belgium, Croatia and Slovakia reported around 100 day care places per 100 000 inhabitants. By contrast, the smallest number of day care places in hospitals relative to population size was 14 per 100 000 inhabitants in Lithuania.
Table 1 also provides information on the number of operating theatres in hospitals for 20 of the EU countries. In 2022, the number of operating theatres in hospitals ranged in most EU countries from 6.7 per 100 000 inhabitants in the Netherlands to 13.0 per 100 000 inhabitants in Greece. Bulgaria (18.1 per 100 000 inhabitants), Cyprus (16.1 per 100 000 inhabitants) and France (16.0 per 100 000 inhabitants) were above this range, while Austria was below (4.6 per 100 000 inhabitants; note that there is incomplete coverage).
Availability of medical technology
Eurostat collects data concerning 6 types of medical technology: computed tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units, gamma cameras, mammography units, positron emission tomography (PET) scanners and radiation therapy equipment. The first 5 of these are imaging equipment used for diagnosis, while the latter is used for treatment (see Table 2).
Based on the data available in Table 2, the most common type of medical technology (among the countries for which data is available) in the EU in 2022 was CT scanners. In the EU in 2022 there were around 12 500 CT scanners, 10 000 MRI units and more than 7 100 mammography units. For gamma cameras and radiation therapy equipment there were around 3 000 each and 1 100 PET scanners which were less common. Please note that data on gamma camera are only available for 26 countries; for mammography units and radiation therapy equipment data are available for 25 and 24 countries, respectively. Additionally data coverage is not fully harmonised yet, as for a few countries, depending on the kind of unit concerned, only technical resources in hospitals are collected.
In 2022, among the EU countries, Germany, France and Italy each had the highest number for 2 of the 6 types of equipment shown in Table 2: Germany for CT scanners and MRI units, France for gamma cameras and radiation therapy equipment, and Italy for mammography units and PET scanners. Figures 1 to 6 present the availability of these types of equipment relative to population size. Note that changes in the ratios relative to population size reflect not only the number of pieces of equipment, but also changes in the number of inhabitants.
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Relative to the population, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Denmark and Italy reported the highest number of CT scanners with at least 4.0 CT scanners per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022 (see Figure 1 for data availability), while Hungary had the lowest number of CT scanners relative to its population (1.1 per 100 000 inhabitants; note that there is incomplete coverage).
Widespread increase in the availability of imaging equipment over several decades
The availability of equipment for diagnosis increased rapidly in most EU countries over recent decades. For example, in Hungary the number of CT scanners in hospitals and providers of ambulatory health care was 103 in 2022, compared with just 3 CT scanners some 36 years earlier (in 1986). In the 38 years between 1984 and 2022, the number of MRI units in hospitals and providers of ambulatory health care increased in Finland from 1 to 184, and in the Netherlands from 2 in 1986 to 267 in 2022. More recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of PET scanner units; for example, their number increased in France from 5 in 2002 to 216 in 2022. There has been a slower increase in the number of units of radiation therapy equipment, which rose in Ireland from 5 in 1981 to 51 in 2022. Computer tomography (CT) scanners
Between 2012 and 2022, the availability of CT scanners increased by 1.6 units per 100 000 inhabitants in Cyprus and by 1.5 units per 100 000 inhabitants in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania (see Figure 1). By contrast, there were slight falls in the number of CT scanners per 100 000 inhabitants in Austria and Luxembourg; falls were also observed in Finland and Malta, but for both there is a break in series.
_scanners,_2012_and_2022_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units
Greece, Germany, Finland and Italy each reported more than 3.0 MRI units per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022 (see Figure 2 for data availability). By contrast, there were fewer than 1.0 MRI units per 100 000 inhabitants in Malta, Denmark (2021 data) and Hungary (although coverage for Hungary is incomplete).
Between 2012 and 2022, the largest increase in the availability of MRI units relative to population size was recorded in Greece, where the number of MRI units per 100 000 inhabitants rose by 1.5 units per 100 000 inhabitants. Denmark was the only EU country to report a decrease for this ratio (although there is a break in series), while there was no change in the ratio in Cyprus.
_units,_2012_and_2022_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Gamma cameras
Among the EU countries (see Figure 3 for data availability), the highest number of gamma cameras relative to population size was recorded in Belgium (2020 data), at 2.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants. With the exception of Greece, the availability of gamma cameras in Belgium was more than twice as high as in any of the other EU countries.
Between 2012 and 2022, there were increases in the number of gamma cameras per 100 000 inhabitants in 10 EU countries. These increases only reached 0.10 per 100 000 inhabitants in France, Croatia and Poland, the first and last of which have a break in series. A total of 6 EU countries recorded falls of at least 0.20 units per 100 000 inhabitants, with the largest decrease in Luxembourg (down 0.48 units per 100 000 inhabitants).
_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Mammography units
Greece (7.3 units per 100 000 inhabitants) and Cyprus (6.1 units per 100 000 inhabitants) reported the highest number of mammography units relative to population size in 2022. The number of mammography units was also relatively high – within the range of 3.1 to 3.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants – in Italy, Belgium, Finland, Bulgaria and Croatia (see Figure 4 for data availability). By contrast, there were fewer than 1.0 mammography units per 100 000 inhabitants in France (hospitals only) and Germany (hospitals only).
The largest increases in the availability of mammography units between 2012 and 2022 were recorded in Greece and Cyprus, up 1.8 and 1.5 units per 100 000 inhabitants, respectively. The largest decrease was in Malta, where there is a break in series; otherwise, the largest decreases were in Slovenia and Luxembourg, both down 0.3 units per 100 000 inhabitants.
_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Positron emission tomography (PET) scanners
In 2022, PET scanners were generally the least widely available of the 6 types of equipment presented in this article. Relative to population size (see Figure 5 for data availability), Denmark reported 0.88 PET scanners per 100 000 inhabitants, while all of the other EU countries for which data are available reported at most 0.49 units per 100 000 inhabitants.
Between 2012 and 2022, the availability of PET scanners increased by less than 0.15 scanners per 100 000 inhabitants in most EU countries. Larger increases were observed in Denmark (up by 0.27 for the period 2013–22), the Netherlands and France (both up 0.18; note that there is a break in series for France). There was no change in this ratio in Ireland, while there were falls in Estonia and Luxembourg (down 0.01 and 0.04, respectively).
_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Radiation therapy units
Slovakia and Denmark reported the highest rate of radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022, 1.18 and 1.17, respectively (see Figure 6 for data availability). The lowest rates for this type of equipment were in the range of 0.46 to 0.52 units per 100 000 inhabitants, recorded in Germany (hospitals only), Portugal, Romania (hospitals only) and Estonia.
A majority (15) of the 22 EU countries for which data are available reported an increase in their number of radiation therapy units relative to population size between 2012 and 2022. The largest increase was recorded in Bulgaria, with an additional 0.59 radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants. In 7 EU countries a decrease was recorded in this ratio between 2012 and 2022, with the largest decreases in Denmark (down 0.17 radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants for the period 2013–22), Sweden (down 0.17 for the period 2016–22) and Malta (down 0.20; note that there is a break in series).
_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Use of medical technology
Table 3 presents data on the use of 3 types of imaging equipment in 2022, CT, MRI and PET.
In 2022, the largest numbers of scans, in absolute terms, for 2 of the 3 types of equipment were performed in France. For CT scanners, there were 15.2 million scans in France, with the next highest numbers in Germany (13.6 million), Spain (6.8 million) and Italy (6.3 million). For PET scanners, there were 875 000 scans in France, with Italy recording the next highest number, 326 000 scans. For MRI units, there were 13.0 million scans in Germany compared with 9.8 million scans in France, 5.4 million in Spain and 4.8 million in Italy.
Hungary had the most intensive use of CT and MRI scanners
In 2022, the most intensive use of CT scanners (as measured by the average number of scans per machine) was recorded in Hungary (note that there is incomplete coverage), with 20 700 scans per CT scanner (see Table 3 for data availability). Portugal (hospitals only) and France also recorded ratios in excess of 10 000 scans per CT scanner. By contrast, the least intensive use of CT scanner units was recorded in Cyprus, where the average use in 2022 was less than 2 000 scans per CT scanner (note that the definition differs).
The most intensive use of MRI units was also in Hungary (again note that there is incomplete coverage), where an average of 10 000 scans were performed per MRI unit in 2022. The 2nd highest level of intensity was recorded in Belgium, an average of 9 400 scans per MRI unit. At the other end of the range, Finland and Bulgaria made the least intensive use of their MRI scanners in 2022, with averages of fewer than 2 000 scans per MRI unit.
The most intensive use of PET scanners was in Luxembourg, where an average of 5 100 scans were performed by each PET scanner in 2022. PET scanners were also used more frequently than 3 000 scans per PET scanner in France, Bulgaria, Belgium and Czechia. In 4 EU countries, an average of fewer than 1 000 scans were made by each PET scanner, with this average below 500 per scanner in Germany (hospitals only) and Finland.
Relative to the size of their respective populations, the EU countries with the highest numbers of CT scans in 2022 were Portugal (28 300 scans per 100 000 inhabitants; hospitals only) and Latvia (24 500 scans per 100 000 inhabitants) – see Figure 7 for data availability. This ratio was below 10 000 scans per 100 000 inhabitants in 4 EU countries, including Finland where it was lowest (6 400 scans per 100 000 inhabitants).
The number of CT scans relative to population size increased for nearly all EU countries
Between 2012 and 2022, nearly all of the EU countries for which data are available reported an increase in the number of CT scans they conducted relative to the size of their respective populations; the only exceptions were Cyprus and Denmark; note that there is a break in series for both of these countries. The largest increases – more than 8 000 additional scans per 100 000 inhabitants – were recorded in Portugal (hospitals only), Latvia and Lithuania. The smallest increase – of 520 additional CT scans per 100 000 inhabitants – was recorded in Greece.
_scans,_2012_and_2022_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
In 2022, the highest numbers of MRI scans relative to the size of the population were recorded in Austria, Germany and France, where the numbers of scans per 100 000 inhabitants were between 14 300 and 16 400 (see Figure 8 for data availability). At the other end of the range, the lowest ratios were recorded for Romania and Bulgaria, each with fewer than 4 000 MRI scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
The number of MRI scans relative to population size increased in all EU countries for which data are available
All 24 EU countries for which data are available recorded an increase between 2012 and 2022 in the number of MRI scans conducted relative to population size. There were 18 EU countries where the number of MRI scans relative to population size increased by more than 2 000 scans during the period under consideration. The largest increases were recorded in Cyprus (note that there is a break in series) and Slovenia, where there were, respectively, an additional 9 000 and 8 100 MRI scans per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022 compared with 2012. The smallest increase – less than 250 additional MRI scans per 100 000 inhabitants – was recorded in Italy.
_scans,_2012_and_2022_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
The most PET scans relative to population size were performed in Denmark, France and Belgium
In 2022, Denmark, France and Belgium recorded the highest numbers of PET scans per 100 000 inhabitants (see Figure 9 for data availability). The average for Denmark was 1 600 scans per 100 000 inhabitants, around 300 more than the corresponding figure for France and just under 600 more than in Belgium; this figure was also at least 2.7 times higher than in 20 of the other 24 EU countries for which data are available. The use of PET scans was particularly low, in relative terms, in Lithuania, Finland, Romania and Latvia, where there were fewer than 100 PET scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
The number of PET scans relative to population size increased between 2012 and 2022 in each EU country for which data are available (see Figure 9). As well as having some of the highest numbers of PET scans relative to their populations, Denmark and France reported the largest increases between 2012 and 2022. The number of scans increased by 1 040 per 100 000 inhabitants in Denmark (note that there is a break in series) and by 800 per 100 000 inhabitants in France (2013–22). At the other end of the range, Germany reported the smallest increase of 8.9 PET scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
_Health2024.png)
(per 100 000 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
Source data for tables and graphs
Key concepts
Data sources
Day care does not involve an overnight stay. By contrast to in-patient and out-patient care, day care comprises planned medical and paramedical services delivered to patients who have been formally admitted for diagnosis, treatment or other types of health care but with the intention to discharge the patient on the same day. While day care patients are formally admitted, out-patients are not formally admitted.
Day care places in hospitals include the number of day care beds and seats in hospitals.
Operating theatres (also known as operating rooms or suites) are hospital facilities for conducting surgical procedures in a sterile environment.
Computed tomography scanners (CT or CAT units) are machines which combine many X-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views and, if needed, 3-dimensional images of the internal organs and structures of the body.
Magnetic resonance imaging units (MRI units) visualise internal structures of the body using magnetic and electromagnetic fields which induce a resonance effect of hydrogen atoms from which images of the body structures can be produced.
Positron emission tomography scanner units (PET scanners) use short-lived radioactive substances for highly specialised imaging. This produces 3-dimensional images which are used mainly for the assessment of cancer spread in a patient’s body.
Gamma cameras (including single photon emission computed tomography, SPECT) are used for a nuclear medicine procedure in which a camera rotates around the patient to register gamma ray emissions from an isotope injected into the patient’s body. The resulting data are processed to form a cross-sectional (tomographic) image.
Mammography units include only dedicated mammography machines, in other words those designed exclusively for taking mammograms.
Radiation therapy equipment includes machines providing medical treatment through the use of X-rays or radionuclides, for example linear accelerators, Cobalt-60 units, high dose and low dose rate brachytherapy units; these units often form part of the treatment for cancer patients.
Statistics on healthcare resources (such as technical resources and medical technology) are documented in background article which provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.
The data on the availability of medical technology and of imaging equipment concern equipment in hospitals and in ambulatory health care facilities. For some EU countries, notably Portugal, the data only cover the availability of this equipment in hospitals; for particular types of equipment and/or their use this is also the case for France, Germany and Switzerland.
For country specific notes on the collection of healthcare non-expenditure statistics, please refer to the annexes at the end of the national metadata reports accessible from links at the beginning of the European metadata report.
Tables in this article use the following notation:
| Value in italics | estimate or provisional data; |
| Value is – | not relevant or not applicable; |
| Value is : | not available. |
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Context
Developments in medical techniques and technologies impact on medical diagnosis and treatment. The data on medical technology presented in this article concern equipment for diagnosis or treatment. After the discovery of X-rays, there was a relatively rapid transition before they started to be used for medical diagnosis of internal organs and body structures. Technological advances have subsequently led to the introduction of various other diagnostic devices, such as gamma cameras (developed to detect tumours) or ultrasound images. These were followed, among other types of equipment, by PET scanners, MRI equipment and CT scanners.
An issue associated with the X-rays (and gamma rays) used in several of these types of equipment is exposure to ionising radiation, as this carries a risk of developmental problems and cancer. By contrast, MRI scans use magnetic and electromagnetic fields, rather than X-rays, and so avoid these risks.
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) summarises information about medical, economic, social and ethical issues related to the use of a health technology. The main purpose of HTA is to provide policy-makers with evidence-based information, so they can formulate health policies that are safe, effective, patient-focused and cost-effective. It is also used by national authorities to help decisions on which technology should be reimbursed at national level.
The European Commission adopted a regulation in December 2021, Regulation (EU) 2021/2282 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU. This regulation contributes to improving the availability for EU patients of innovative technologies in the area of health, such as medicines and certain medical devices. It ensures an efficient use of resources and strengthens the quality of HTA across the Union.
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