Data extracted in January 2026.
Planned article update: January 2027.
Highlights
Relative to population size, France reported the highest number of day care places in 2023 among EU countries, at 129 per 100 000 inhabitants.
In 2023, Greece reported the highest number of CT scanners (5.1 per 100 000 inhabitants) and MRI machines (3.9 per 100 000 inhabitants) relative to population size.
Relative to population size, considerably more PET (positron emission tomography) scans were performed in 2023 in Denmark than in any other EU country, at 3 480 scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
Use of imaging equipment – number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 2023
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 included in a set of statistical articles concerning healthcare resources in the EU which forms part of the online publication 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 2023 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 (88 431 places), followed by Germany (33 987), Spain (23 972), Italy (20 096), Belgium (11 949) and Romania (10 191).
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 129.3 places per 100 000 inhabitants in 2023. 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 18.2 per 100 000 inhabitants in Lithuania.
Table 1 also provides information on the number of operating theatres in hospitals for 20 EU countries. In 2023, the number of operating theatres in hospitals ranged in most EU countries from 63 in Luxembourg to over 10 000 in France. Relative to population, the number of operating theatres in hospitals generally ranged from 6.7 per 100 000 inhabitants in the Netherlands to 12.8 per 100 000 inhabitants in Greece. France (15.9 per 100 000 inhabitants), Cyprus (17.7 per 100 000 inhabitants) and Bulgaria (19.0 per 100 000 inhabitants) were above this range, while Austria was below (4.6 per 100 000 inhabitants; note that the coverage is incomplete).
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 five of these are imaging equipment used for diagnosis, while radiation therapy equipment is used for treatment (see Table 2).
Based on the data in Table 2, the most common type of medical technology (among the countries for which data are available) in the EU in 2023 was CT scanners, of which there were around 12 800. In addition, there were approximately 10 500 MRI units, 6 800 mammography units, 3 100 pieces of radiation therapy equipment, 2 700 gamma cameras and 1 200 PET scanners. Note that data on gamma cameras are available for 25 countries, while for mammography units and radiation therapy equipment data are available for 23 countries each. Additionally, data coverage is not fully harmonised yet: for a few countries, depending on the kind of unit concerned, only technical resources in hospitals are collected.
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In 2023, Germany, France and Italy each had the highest number, among EU countries, of at least one of the six types of equipment shown in Table 2: France for gamma cameras (483), PET scanners (233) and radiation therapy equipment (773); Germany for CT scanners (3 088) and MRI units (2 940); and Italy for mammography units (2 158). Figures 1 to 6 present the availability of these types of equipment relative to population size. Note that changes over time in the rates relative to population size reflect changes not only the number of pieces of equipment but also in the number of inhabitants (which may have risen or fallen), as well as in improvements in data coverage.
Computer tomography (CT) scanners
Relative to their population size, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy and Latvia reported the highest number of CT scanners in 2023, all with at least 4.0 CT scanners per 100 000 inhabitants (see Figure 1 for data availability). Hungary had the lowest number of CT scanners relative to its population size (1.1 per 100 000 inhabitants; note that there is incomplete coverage).
The availability of equipment for diagnosis increased in most EU countries over the last decade.
Between 2013 and 2023, the availability of CT scanners increased by 1.8 units per 100 000 inhabitants in Romania, by 1.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants in Cyprus and by 1.6 units per 100 000 inhabitants in Greece (see Figure 1). By contrast, there were falls in the number of CT scanners per 100 000 inhabitants in Denmark and Finland, but for both there is a break in series and this fall was less than 1 unit per 100 000 inhabitants.
_scanners,_2013_and_2023_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2026.png)
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 2023 (see Figure 2 for data availability). By contrast, there were fewer than 1.0 MRI units per 100 000 inhabitants in Malta and Hungary (although coverage is incomplete).
Between 2013 and 2023, 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 1.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants. Cyprus was the only EU county to report a decrease for this rate, with the rate falling marginally (less than 0.1 units per 100 000 inhabitants).
_units,_2013_and_2023_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2026.png)
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 exceptions of Greece and Cyprus, the availability of gamma cameras in Belgium was more than twice as high as in any of the other EU countries.
Between 2013 and 2023, there were increases in the number of gamma cameras per 100 000 inhabitants in 11 EU countries. These increases only exceeded 0.10 per 100 000 inhabitants in Belgium (2013 to 2020), Cyprus, France (break in series), Malta and Bulgaria. A total of three EU countries recorded falls of more than 0.20 units per 100 000 inhabitants: Denmark (break in series), Italy and the Netherlands.
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Mammography units
Greece (7.5 units per 100 000 inhabitants) and Cyprus (6.4 units per 100 000 inhabitants) reported the highest number of mammography units relative to population size in 2023. The number of mammography units was also relatively high – within the range of 3.4 to 3.7 units per 100 000 inhabitants – in Italy, Belgium (2020 data), Bulgaria, Croatia and Finland (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 (also hospitals only).
The largest increases in the availability of mammography units between 2013 and 2023 were recorded in Greece and Cyprus, each up 1.8 units per 100 000 inhabitants. The largest decrease was in Poland, where there is a break in series; otherwise, the largest decrease was in Austria, down 0.2 units per 100 000 inhabitants.
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Positron emission tomography (PET) scanners
In 2023, PET scanners were generally the least widely available of the six types of equipment presented in this article. Relative to population size (see Figure 5 for data availability), Denmark reported 0.89 PET scanners per 100 000 inhabitants, while all of the other EU countries for which data are available reported fewer than 0.50 units per 100 000 inhabitants. Three countries reported less than 0.1 PET scanners per 100 000 inhabitants: Portugal (hospitals only), Romania and Lithuania.
Between 2013 and 2023, the availability of PET scanners increased by no more than 0.15 scanners per 100 000 inhabitants in most EU countries. Larger increases were observed in Denmark (up by 0.30) and France (up 0.20; note that there is a break in series). There were marginal falls in this rate in Estonia and Luxembourg (each down 0.01 scanners per 100 000 inhabitants) and a slightly larger fall in Malta (down 0.05 scanners per 100 000 inhabitants).
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Radiation therapy units
Across EU countries, Slovakia reported the highest rate of radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants in 2023, 1.20 (see Figure 6 for data availability). There are no recent data available for Belgium, but in 2017 (the latest year available), the rate was 1.82 units per 100 000 inhabitants. The lowest rates for this type of equipment were in the range of 0.45 to 0.54 units per 100 000 inhabitants, recorded in Portugal, Germany (both hospitals only), Romania and Malta.
A majority (16) of the 23 EU countries for which data are available reported an increase in their number of radiation therapy units relative to population size between 2013 and 2023. The largest increase was recorded in Bulgaria, with an additional 0.59 radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants. In seven EU countries, a decrease was recorded, with the largest fall in Denmark (down 0.13 radiation therapy units per 100 000 inhabitants).
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_medim)
Use of medical technology
Table 3 presents data on the use of three types of imaging equipment in 2023: CT scanners, MRI units and PET scanners.
In 2023, the largest numbers of scans, in absolute terms, for two of the three types of equipment were performed in France. For CT scanners, there were 15.6 million scans in France, with the next highest numbers in Germany (14.0 million), Spain (7.3 million), Italy (6.6 million) and Poland (5.4 million). For PET scanners, there were 983 647 scans in France, with Italy recording the next highest number, 334 099 scans. For MRI units, there were 13.5 million scans in Germany compared with 10.3 million scans in France, 6.1 million in Spain and 4.9 million in Italy.
Hungary had the most intensive use of CT and MRI scanners
In 2023, 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 21 813 scans per CT scanner (see Table 3 for data availability). Portugal (hospitals only) and France also recorded rates 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 2023 was less than 2 000 scans per CT scanner (note that there is incomplete coverage).
The most intensive use of MRI units was also in Hungary (again note that there is incomplete coverage), where an average of 10 521 scans were performed per MRI unit in 2023. The second highest level of intensity was recorded in Belgium, with an average of just under 10 000 scans per MRI unit. At the other end of the range, Bulgaria and Finland made the least intensive use of their MRI scanners in 2023, 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 6 080 scans were performed on each PET scanner in 2023. PET scanners were also used more frequently than 3 000 scans per scanner in France, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria and Hungary (incomplete coverage). In Germany (hospitals only), an average of fewer than 1 000 scans were made by each PET scanner, with this average just below 300 per scanner in Finland.
Computer tomography (CT) scanners
Relative to the size of its population, the EU country with the highest number of CT scans in 2023 was Portugal (29 723 scans per 100 000 inhabitants; hospitals only) – see Figure 7 for data availability. This rate was below 10 000 scans per 100 000 inhabitants in three EU countries: Cyprus, Romania and Finland, where it was lowest (less than 6 800 scans per 100 000 inhabitants).
The number of CT scans relative to population size increased for nearly all EU countries
Between 2013 and 2023, 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 exception was Cyprus; note that there is a break in series for Cyprus and incomplete coverage. The largest increases – more than 8 000 additional scans per 100 000 inhabitants – were recorded in Portugal (hospitals only), Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Greece and Poland (2014 to 2023; break in series).
_scans,_2013_and_2023_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2026.png)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units
In 2023, the highest numbers of MRI scans relative to the size of the population were recorded in Austria, and Germany, where the numbers of scans per 100 000 inhabitants were over 16 000 (see Figure 8 for data availability). At the other end of the range, the lowest rates were recorded for Romania and Bulgaria, each with fewer than 5 000 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 2013 and 2023 in the number of MRI scans conducted relative to population size. There were 18 EU countries where the number of MRI scans increased by more than 3 000 scans per 100 000 inhabitants during the period under consideration. The largest increases were recorded in Cyprus (note that there is a break in series and the definition differs) and Slovenia, where there were, respectively, an additional 10 072and 9 530 MRI scans per 100 000 inhabitants in 2023 compared with 2013. The smallest increase – fewer than 400 additional MRI scans per 100 000 inhabitants – was recorded in Italy.
_scans,_2013_and_2023_(per_100_000_inhabitants)_Health2026.png)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
Positron emission tomography (PET) scanners
The highest numbers of PET scans relative to population size were performed in Denmark, France and Belgium
In 2023, 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 just under 3 500 scans per 100 000 inhabitants, 2.4 times as many as the corresponding rate for France (1 439), which had the next highest rate; this rate (in Denmark) was also at least 5.5 times as high as in 20 of the other EU countries for which data are available. The use of PET scans was particularly low, in relative terms, in Romania, Lithuania, Finland and Latvia, where there were fewer than 150 PET scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
The number of PET scans relative to population size increased between 2013 and 2023 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 2013 and 2023. The number of scans increased by around 2 870 per 100 000 inhabitants in Denmark (note that there is a break in series) and by just over 960 per 100 000 inhabitants in France. At the other end of the range, Germany reported the smallest increase, up 15 PET scans per 100 000 inhabitants.
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Source: Eurostat (hlth_co_exam)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
Key concepts
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.
Healthcare resources and activities
Statistics on healthcare resources (such as technical resources and medical technology) are documented in a background article on the methodology of healthcare non-expenditure statistics. This 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.
Symbols
In tables, a colon ‘:’ is used to show where data are not available and a dash ‘–’ is used to show where data are not relevant or applicable. Data in italics are estimates or provisional.
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.
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) summarises information about medical, economic, social and ethical issues related to the use of health technology. The main purpose of the HTA is to provide policymakers with evidence-based information, so that 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 within (public) health insurance schemes.
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 aims to contribute to improving the availability for EU patients of innovative technologies in the area of health, such as medicines and certain medical devices. It aims to ensure an efficient use of resources and strengthen the quality of health technologies across the EU.
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