Healthcare resource statistics - beds

Data extracted in June 2026

Planned article update: July 2027

Highlights

Among EU countries, Bulgaria, Germany and Romania had the highest number of hospital beds relative to population size in 2024.

A total of 12 EU countries reported more rehabilitative care beds in hospitals per head of population in 2024 than 10 years earlier, while 13 reported fewer such beds. Data are not available for 2 countries.

In the EU in 2024, the Netherlands recorded the highest number of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities, relative to population, 1 390 per 100 000 inhabitants.

Total beds in hospitals, 2024

This article presents an overview of European Union (EU) statistics related to the availability of hospital beds as well as the availability of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities. Hospital beds include beds for curative care, long-term care and rehabilitative care, these can be further categorised as beds for somatic care and those used for psychiatric care. Separate totals for somatic and psychiatric care beds (across all 4 functions) are also available.

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.

Hospital beds

In 2024, there were approximately 2.3 million hospital beds available across the EU^[1]. A large majority of these were for the function of curative care. Most of the remainder were beds for rehabilitative care, with a smaller number for long-term care or other functions. Table 1 presents the total available hospital beds in each country, the breakdown of total hospital beds by function (curative, rehabilitative, long-term care and other; this includes both somatic and psychiatric care beds, unless otherwise specified - see Table 1 for more information); a separate subtotal for psychiatric care beds (across all 4 functions) is also available.

Bulgaria, Germany and Romania had the highest numbers of hospital beds relative to population size

An analysis of the number of hospital beds in relation to population reveals that there were, on average, 507 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants in 2024 across the whole of the EU. Among the EU countries, Germany recorded not only the highest number of hospital beds (634 000), but also the second highest number relative to population size, with 759 beds per 100 000 population (see Table 1). The only EU country with a higher ratio relative to its population size was Bulgaria, with an average of 870 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants. Romania recorded the third highest ratio, 731 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants. Ireland, Spain, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands each recorded fewer than 300 beds per 100 000 inhabitants, while the lowest ratio was observed in Sweden (187 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants).

In Table 1, data are displayed to reflect the best data availability for each country. Where a breakdown by function of care is unavailable, it could be totally missing, grouped with another function or only included in the total available hospital beds. Note that data and analysis of hospital beds by function is only available for somatic care (therefore excluding psychiatric care beds) for 5 EU countries – see Table 1 for more details. For these countries, the analysis of the relative importance of the various functions in the following paragraphs is based on the share of each function within a subtotal for somatic care beds (not shown), rather than the total number of available hospital beds (which includes beds for psychiatric care).

Among the 25 EU countries for which an analysis of the number of hospital beds by function in 2024 is available (no data for Demark or Cyprus), the share of beds for curative care was highest in Portugal, the Netherlands, and Ireland, at 95.5%, 94.4%, and 92.7%, respectively. Less than two thirds of all hospital beds were for curative care in Hungary, Czechia, Croatia and France (where the lowest share was recorded, at 58.9% of all somatic care beds). Elsewhere, curative care beds accounted for between 68.3% and 89.4% of all hospital beds.

France recorded the highest share of beds for the function of rehabilitative care, which accounted for 32.0% of the number of somatic hospital beds in 2024, while this share was also at least 15.0% in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Austria, Croatia and Malta. In 7 of the 25 EU countries for which this share is available, it was below 5.0%, with the lowest shares (below 2.0%) in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Finland and Ireland.

In most of the 25 EU countries for which an analysis by function is available, beds for the function of long-term care accounted for less than 16% of the total number of hospital beds in 2024, with only Czechia (28.9%), Estonia (21.5% of somatic care beds) and Croatia (18.1%) reporting higher shares. This share was 0.6% in Poland and there were no long-term care beds in hospitals in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal or Sweden.

Decreasing availability of hospital beds in most EU countries

In the majority of EU countries, the number of hospital beds was lower in 2024 than it was in 2014. In relative terms, the largest contraction in the number of hospital beds was recorded in Finland, where overall bed numbers fell by 44% between 2014 and 2024; note that there is a break in series. There were 7 EU countries where the total number of hospital beds rose between 2014 and 2024: Spain (up 0.5%), Portugal, (up 3%), Romania (up 4%), Bulgaria (up 9%), Cyprus (up 10%), Malta (up 11%) and Ireland (up 32%); note that there is a break in series for Ireland.

Figures 1 to 3 provide an analysis of the changes between 2014 and 2024 in the availability (relative to the size of population) for 3 specific functions: curative, rehabilitative and long-term care. These changes in the number of hospital beds can be compared with changes in the average length of stays for in-patients and the number of hospital discharges to analyse developments in both the supply of and the fulfilled demand for hospital beds.

Curative care beds are used when the intent is to relieve symptoms or to reduce the severity of an illness or injury. Between 2014 and 2024 (see Figure 1 for information about the coverage for individual EU countries), an increase in the number of curative care beds in hospitals (relative to the population size) was recorded by 4 of the 26 EU countries for which data are available. There were increases in Greece (2015 to 2024), Ireland (break in series), Romania and Bulgaria (break in series), rising by 12, 30, 47 and 119 beds per 100 000 inhabitants, respectively. During the period under consideration, Lithuania experienced by far the largest decrease, down 171 beds per 100 000 inhabitants. In the remaining countries, this decrease was also larger than 100 beds per 100 000 inhabitants in Luxembourg (break in series) and Austria.

Rehabilitative care beds accommodate hospital patients with the intent to stabilise, improve or restore impaired body functions and structures. During the period 2014 to 2024, the number of rehabilitative beds relative to population size increased in 12 out of 25 of the EU countries for which data are available (see Figure 2 for details of the data coverage). The number of rehabilitative care beds increased by more than 10 beds per 100 000 inhabitants in Austria, Romania, Bulgaria (break in series) and Poland; the last of these recorded the highest increase, with an additional 29 beds per 100 000 inhabitants. By contrast, the number of rehabilitative care beds relative to population decreased in 13 EU countries between 2014 and 2024, generally decreasing by fewer than 5 beds per 100 000 inhabitants. Somewhat larger decreases (between 10 and 14 beds per 100 000 inhabitants) were observed in France (excluding psychiatric care beds), Germany, Luxembourg (break in series) and Hungary (break in series), while the largest decrease was in Malta (down 42 beds per 100 000 inhabitants).

Long-term care beds are used to alleviate pain and suffering, and to reduce or manage the deterioration in the health of patients with a degree of long-term dependency. Among the 22 EU countries for which data are available (see Figure 3 for details of the data coverage), 16 recorded a downward development in the number of long-term care beds per 100 000 inhabitants during the period 2014 to 2024. By far, the largest fall was recorded in Finland, dropping from 137 to 30 beds per 100 000 inhabitants between 2014 and 2024; note however that there was a break in series. In most of the other countries with decreases, the fall was smaller than 20 beds per 100 000 inhabitants; somewhat larger decreases of between 21 and 40 bed were observed in the Netherlands (2015 to 2024; break in series), Malta, Hungary (break in series) and Lithuania. There were 6 EU countries where there was an increase in the number of long-term care beds relative to population size. The only increases of more than 10 additional beds per 100 000 inhabitants were in Bulgaria (up 12 beds per 100 000 inhabitants; break in series) and Croatia (up 13 beds per 100 000 inhabitants).

Beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities

The number of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities relative to population size increased in most EU countries

While the analysis presented so far has focused on beds in hospitals, this final section looks at beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities. In 2024, there were approximately 3.6 million beds in these facilities across the EU.

Relative to population size in 2024, the highest number of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities was recorded in the Netherlands, with 1 390 per 100 000 inhabitants (see Figure 4). Sweden (1 298 per 100 000 inhabitants), Belgium (1 249 per 100 000 inhabitants), Malta (1 222 per 100 000 inhabitants) and Finland (1 202 per 100 000 inhabitants) recorded the next highest rates. In most of the remaining EU countries, the number of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities exceeded 500 per 100 000 inhabitants but was lower than 1 200 per 100 000 inhabitants. Below this range, Cyprus, Latvia (coverage is broader), Romania and Poland had between 225 and 351 beds per 100 000 inhabitants, while the lowest numbers of beds were in Portugal, Bulgaria and Greece, at 94, 26 and 20 per 100 000 inhabitants, respectively.

A comparison of 2014 and 2024 data reveals that there was an increase in bed numbers per 100 000 inhabitants in most of the EU countries (17) for which data are available (no comparison available for Cyprus or Portugal). Relative to population size, the number of beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities fell most notably in Denmark (down 151 per 100 000 inhabitants; break in series), Sweden (down 86), Latvia (down 35) and the Netherlands (down 33; break in series), with smaller decreases in Luxembourg, Ireland, Bulgaria and Greece. The largest increases were in Croatia (break in series) and Estonia, each with increases of more than 300 beds 100 000 inhabitants.

Source data for tables and graphs

Healthcare resources – beds: tables and figures

Data sources

Key concepts

Hospitals comprise licensed establishments primarily engaged in providing medical, diagnostic and treatment services that include physician, nursing and other health services to in-patients, and the specialised accommodation services required by in-patients. Hospitals may also provide out-patient services as a secondary activity. Speciality hospitals, including mental health and substance abuse hospitals, are also covered.

Long-term care institutions refer to nursing and other residential care facilities which provide accommodation and long-term care as a package. Beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities are recorded separately from hospital beds.

Hospital beds are beds which are regularly maintained and staffed and immediately available for the care of admitted patients. Occupied and unoccupied beds are both included. Excluded are recovery trolleys and beds for same day care (day care and out-patient care), provisional and temporary beds. Hospital beds can be analysed by function and by category/type of care.

Total hospital beds by function = curative (acute) care beds + rehabilitative care beds + long-term care beds + other hospital beds

Curative care beds in hospitals are for patients where the principal clinical intent is to relieve symptoms or to reduce the severity of an illness or injury, to or protect against their exacerbation or complication which could threaten life or normal function. They include beds for psychiatric and non-psychiatric curative (acute) care, from general hospitals, mental health hospitals and other specialised hospitals. Beds for palliative and long-term nursing care are recorded under long-term care.
Rehabilitative care beds in hospitals are beds accommodating patients with the principal intent to stabilise, improve or restore impaired body functions and structures, compensate for the absence or loss of body functions and structures, improve activities and participation and prevent impairments, medical complications and risks. They include beds for psychiatric and non-psychiatric rehabilitative care, from general hospitals, mental health hospitals and other specialised hospitals.
Long-term care beds in hospitals are for patients requiring long-term care with the primary goal of alleviating pain and suffering and reducing or managing the deterioration in health status in patients with a degree of long-term dependency. They include beds for psychiatric and non-psychiatric long-term care, from general hospitals, mental health hospitals and other specialised hospitals.
Other beds include all other beds in hospitals not elsewhere classified.

Total hospital beds by category/type of care = somatic care beds + psychiatric care beds

Somatic care means healthcare relating to the body, as distinguished from psychiatric care.
Psychiatric care means healthcare concerning the mind, for example, dealing with mental and behavioural disorders. Psychiatric care beds include all beds in mental health and substance abuse hospitals, as well as beds in psychiatric departments of general and specialty hospitals.

Healthcare resources

Statistics on healthcare resources (such as beds in hospitals as well as nursing and other residential long-term care facilities) 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.

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. Data in italics are estimates or provisional.

Context

Indicators concerning the number of hospital beds (and their function and category/type of care) complement information on healthcare expenditure, hospital personnel – physicians and equipment to provide an overview of the resources available for delivering healthcare in hospitals. It should be noted that the information on hospital beds only covers beds for in-patient care: many hospitals also provide day care and out-patient care and beds used for these services are excluded from the information presented.

In many areas, technological developments have reduced the average length of stay in hospitals for in-patient procedures or replaced procedures requiring in-patient care with ones that can be provided to day care or out-patients, or with the reorganisation of the national health systems providing dedicated structures such as nursing homes and other residential long-term care facilities. As such, it is commonplace to find the number of available hospital beds falling over time in many of the EU countries.

Footnotes

The EU aggregate is calculated independently based on the total reported for each country. Consequently, the EU aggregate may not equal the sum of the breakdowns. ↑

Explore further

Database

Health (hlth)

Health care (hlth_care)

Health care resources (hlth_res)

Health care facilities (hlth_facil)

Available beds in hospitals by NUTS 2 region (hlth_rs_bdsrg2)

Beds in nursing and other residential long-term care facilities (hlth_rs_bdltc)

Hospital beds by function and type of care (hlth_rs_bds1)

Thematic section

Health

Methodology

Manuals and guidelines

Healthcare non-expenditure statistics manual – Guidelines for completing the Joint questionnaire on non-monetary healthcare statistics – 2025 edition

Metadata

Health care resources (ESMS metadata file – hlth_res_esms)

External links

[1] The EU aggregate is calculated independently based on the total reported for each country. Consequently, the EU aggregate may not equal the sum of the breakdowns. ↑

[1]