Links below lead to national subsections on Health System Physical Resources and Utilization.
“Across OECD countries, there were on average 4.2 hospital beds per 1,000 population in 2023 (Figure 5.19). Rates were much higher in Korea (12.6 beds per 1,000) and Japan (12.5 per 1,000). Over two-thirds of OECD countries reported between 3 and 8 hospital beds per 1,000 population, with the lowest rates in Mexico, Costa Rica and Sweden.
“Since 2013, the number of beds per capita has decreased in nearly all OECD countries, due in part to greater use of day care and reductions in the average length of stay. The largest decrease occurred in Finland, with a fall of over 50%, mainly affecting long-term care and psychiatric care beds. Reduced capacity of 1 bed or more per 1,000 population was observed in Austria, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, also due in part to long-term care and psychiatric care beds. In contrast, the number of beds increased strongly in Korea, with a significant number of these dedicated to long-term care.
“Hospital bed occupancy rates offer complementary information to assess hospital capacity. High occupancy rates of curative (acute) care beds can be symptomatic of a health system under pressure. Some spare bed capacity is necessary to absorb unexpected surges in patients requiring hospitalisation. Although there is no consensus about the “optimal” occupancy rate, a rate of about 85% is often considered a maximum to reduce the risk of bed shortages (NICE, 2018[2]). In 2023, the average bed occupancy rate was 72%, but the rate was higher than 85% in 2 of the 29 OECD countries with comparable data: Ireland and Canada (Figure 5.20). Occupancy rates were comparatively low in Türkiye, Hungary and many central and eastern European countries. Compared to 2013, occupancy rates were lower in almost all OECD countries in 2023.
“While general hospital bed capacity matters, intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is an essential resource in many health emergencies or other major crises, delivering care for critically ill patients, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding definitional differences, on average across 31 OECD countries there were 17 ICU beds per 100,000 population in 2023 (Figure 5.21). Numbers varied markedly from around 40 beds or more per 100,000 population in Czechia and Estonia to below 5 beds per 100,000 in New Zealand and Sweden. Compared to the pre-pandemic situation, most countries have increased ICU capacity.
Source: OECD (2025), Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/8f9e3f98-en.
There is no general guideline or international benchmark regarding the ideal numbers of CT scanners, PET scanners or MRI units. Too few units may lead to access problems in terms of geographical proximity or waiting times, while too many may result in overuse of these costly diagnostic procedures, with little if any benefit for patients.
“Availability of CT and PET scanners and MRI units has increased rapidly in most OECD countries over the past few decades. Japan had by far the highest number of CT scanners and MRI units, and the third highest number of PET scanners per capita. Australia has the next highest number of CT scanners; the United States the second highest numbers of MRI units and PET scanners; and Denmark the highest number of PET scanners per capita (Figure 9.10). The combined numbers of these three diagnostic technologies were also substantially higher than the OECD average in Greece, Korea, and Italy; and much lower than the average in Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico.
“Data on use of diagnostic scanners are available for 31 OECD countries. Taken together, use of CT, MRI and PET diagnostic exams was highest in Luxembourg, Korea, Austria, France and Portugal, all of which had a combined total of over 370 exams per 1,000 population in 2023 (Figure 9.11). Use of these three diagnostic exams was lowest in Costa Rica and Finland; as well as accession countries Romania and Bulgaria. There are large variations in the use of CT scanners and MRI units, not only across but also within countries – for example, in Norway, a recent analysis revealed nearly 50% geographical variation in use of outpatient diagnostic imaging exams for the musculoskeletal system, as well as for the thorax, abdomen, and blood vessels, in 2019 (Hofmann and Gransjøen, 2022[2]).
“Looking at trends over time, the number of CT and MRI exams per 1,000 population has continued to grow in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Korea and Latvia (Figure 9.12). Between 2013 and 2023, the number of CT exams more than doubled in Korea and increased by more than 50% in Australia and Latvia. Similarly, numbers of MRI exams more than doubled in Korea and Latvia, increased by around 70% in France, and rose steadily in Belgium and Germany.”
Source: OECD (2025), Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/8f9e3f98-en.
“Shortages were already common and increasing prior to COVID-19. Across OECD countries, medicine shortages mainly affect older, off-patent medicines, and are particularly prevalent among central nervous system, cardiovascular and anti-infective medicines. Manufacturing and quality issues are the most frequently reported reasons (50-60%) for shortages, while “commercial issues” are often cited in generic markets where competitive price pressures are intense. In the EU, 8% of shortages are reportedly due to distribution issues. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, shortages of medical devices received less attention than medicine shortages. Nevertheless, several sources of risk to medical device supplies have been identified, including reforms to the EU medical device and in-vitro-diagnostic (IVD) regulation; competition with other sectors for raw materials and electronic components; and recently, significant inflation in the costs of inputs. Data on shortages of medical devices and IVDs and their causes are scant, however, as reporting requirements are less stringent than for medicines.”
OECD (2024), Securing Medical Supply Chains in a Post-Pandemic World, OECD Health Policy Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/119c59d9-en.
“The number of hospital beds provides an indication of resources available for delivering inpatient services. COVID-19 highlighted the need to have sufficient hospital beds (particularly intensive care beds), together with enough doctors and nurses. Still, a surplus of beds may cause unnecessary use and therefore costs – notably for patients whose outcomes may not improve from intensive care. Across OECD countries, there were on average 4.2 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2023. Over two-thirds of OECD countries reported between 3 and 8 hospital beds per 1,000 people. Korea and Japan, however, had far more hospital beds (12-13 per 1,000 people), while Mexico, Costa Rica and Sweden had relatively few.”
Source: OECD (2025), Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/8f9e3f98-en.
Breaking News
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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other OECD member nations.
Page last updated February 26, 2026 by Doug McVay, Editor.