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In-person doctor consultations per person
– 2023: 5.9
– 2019: 7.0
Estimated number of in-person consultations per doctor, 2023: 1,344
Hospital beds per 1,000 population
– 2023: 2.9
– 2013: 3.0
Occupancy rate of curative acute care beds (%)
– 2022: 72.8%
– 2013: 75.5%
Adult intensive care beds per 100,000 population (critical care beds only), 2022: 18.7
Average length of stay in hospital for curative (acute) care (days)
– 2022: 6.1
– 2019: 6.0
Percentage of eligible children who have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, 2024: 92%
Percentage of eligible children who have received three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, 2024: 94%
Percentage of population aged 65 and over vaccinated against influenza
– 2024: 67%
– 2019: 54%
Cervical cancer screening coverage (% of women screened) (survey data), 2020-2022: 68%
Colorectal cancer screening coverage (% of target population screened), 2023: 43%
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions in adults (age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population)
– 2023: 203
– 2013: 240
Congestive heart failure hospital admissions in adults (age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population)
– 2023: 161
– 2013: 203
Diabetes hospital admissions in adults (age-sex standardized rate per 100,000 population)
– 2023: 62
– 2013: 53
Community pharmacies per 100,000 population, 2023: 46.67
CT scanners per million population, 2023: 22
MRI units per million population, 2023: 22
PET scanners per million population, 2023: 3
CT exams per 1,000 population, 2023: 151
MRI exams per 1,000 population, 2023: 125
PET exams per 1,000 population, 2023: 6
People aged 65 and over receiving long-term care (%)
– 2023: 14.9%
– 2013: 6.8%
Long-term care recipients aged 65 and over receiving care at home (%)
– 2023: 84.5%
– 2013: 73.4%
Long-term care beds in institutions and hospitals per 1,000 population aged 65 years or over
– 2023: 43.9
– 2013: 47.8

Source: OECD (2025), Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/8f9e3f98-en.

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Hospital Beds Per 1,000 Population, 2021: 2.96
Total Doctors Consultations (In Person and Remotely), Number Per Capita, 2021: 7.871
Hospital Average Length of Stay (All Causes), 2021: 8.3 Days
Computed Tomography Scanners Per Million Population, 2021: 21.43
Magnetic Imaging Resonance Units Per Million Population, 2021: 20.35
Mammographs Per Million Population, 2021: 17.29

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed Nov. 15, 2023.

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“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of hospital beds in Spain was relatively low (3.0 per 1,000 population in SNS [Sistema Nacional de Salud] hospitals) compared to the EU average (5.3 per 1,000), although with higher occupancy rates; this pattern remained unchanged in the following years (Figure 16). Hospital discharges and occupancy rates decreased between 2019 and 2020, reflecting the fact that most elective surgical procedures were postponed or cancelled in the first year of the pandemic, and patients delayed hospital visits. Since then, both hospitalisations and occupancy rates have increased, although levels have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.

“The percentage of patients on waiting lists who waited longer than three months for surgery increased considerably for selected elective procedures during the pandemic. For example, the percentage of patients waiting for hip replacements for more than three months grew from 38 % in 2019 to 68 % in 2020. It then fell to 44 % in 2024 but remained above the pre-pandemic level (Figure 17). Similar trends can be seen for patients waiting longer than three months for knee replacements and cataract procedures.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2025), Country Health Profile 2025: Spain. State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/ European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.

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“The number of hospitals in Spain has fallen in 15 years, from 19.2 hospitals in 2000 to 16.5 in 2015 per 1 million inhabitants. This figure is far below the OECD average, with a rate of 29.4 hospitals per 1 million inhabitants in 2015 (OECD, 2016a). In terms of size, 72% of hospitals have fewer than 200 beds and just 18 hospitals, all of them in the public sector, have more than 1000 beds. In terms of ownership, around 45% of the 765 hospitals in Spain belong to the public sector (MSSSI, 2015d). When it comes to the private sector, most of the private hospitals in Spain are for-profit, and there is a clear trend towards industrial concentration in hospital networks.

“With regard to primary health care resources, there are two different types of premises: (a) primary care centres (PCCs), which are health centres where the primary health care team (family physicians, staffed nurses and auxiliary personnel) provide extensive primary care services; and (b) local health offices (LHOs), attached to the former in isolated areas, where professionals provide basic assistance. According to the Information System for Primary Care, Spain had 3048 PCCs and 10111 LHOs in 2016, with 96% and 98%, respectively, owned by the public sector. The number of PCCs and LHOs has remained stable over the years (MSSSI, 2016g).”

Source: Bernal-Delgado E, García-Armesto S, Oliva J, Sánchez Martínez FI, Repullo JR, PeñaLongobardo LM, Ridao-López M, Hernández-Quevedo C. Spain: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2018;20(2):1–179.

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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 eighteen other nations.

Page last updated September 25, 2026 by Doug McVay, Editor.