Hospital Admissions Globally

Hospitals are crucial providers of healthcare and treatment to millions of patients worldwide every day, but as populations grow, this already heavily burdened sector will continue to face greater strain.

So, which countries are the busiest when it comes to their hospitals? Health insurance comparison service iSelect looked at discharge rates, length of stay, visits to emergency departments, and the number of hospitals by population for 29 Organisation Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. These countries were then indexed with an overall score to rank them.

Here are results.

The top three busiest OECD countries for hospitals

1. Australia

Australia ranks at the top for the busiest hospitals, with a score of 6.04/10. Australia had the third-highest number of discharges per 100,000 people per year at 17,467.60. The country’s average length of stay for acute care was the fourth-fastest at 4.9 days, while all causes was the third-fastest at 5.3.

2. France

France was ranked second overall in the index with a score of 5.02/10. France had the third-highest number of hospitals per million at 43.80. France also had the 11th-highest number of discharges per 100,000 and the seventh-shortest length of stay for acute care. France also had the 10th-highest number of emergency visits to emergency departments per 100 people, at 30.90.

3. United Kingdom

Rounding out the podium was the United Kingdom (UK), which scored 4.94/10. The UK had the fourth-highest number of visits to emergency departments per 100 people at 43.11, plus it was 11^th in hospitals per million at 29.73. It was also ninth place in terms of the average length of stay for acute care at 5.90 days.

The busiest OECD countries hospital index

Why are Australian hospitals so busy?

The index takes a look at the national statistics per capita, which factors in the difference in population between countries. Through this lens, Australia leads the index in overall score, suggesting a nation with a strong demand for hospital care – despite other countries having larger populations.

Australia has a dual private and public healthcare system that has been under increasing strain in recent years due to a growing and ageing population, increasing costs, and a medical workforce that is not increasing in-line with demand.¹Nursing Supply and Demand Study: 2023 – 2025. Department of Health & Aged Care, Australian Government. 2022.

While the public system falls under an increasing burden, a number of private hospitals have closed – with a majority being private mental health hospitals.²How many more private psychiatric hospitals have to close before the government acts on mental health crisis? Australian Private Hospitals Association. 2025. Private hospitals provide an estimated two-thirds of elective surgeries in Australia,³Silent shutdowns: the private hospital crisis threatening Australia’s health system. Catholic Health Australia. 2025. and remain an essential part of Australia’s healthcare system – but the cracks in the system are getting wider.