Ideal Number of Hospital Bed Density

There are many factors that affect the number of hospital bed densities that are needed in a given population. The number of hospital beds per population is known as the bed density. It is important to have enough beds to accommodate the population without exceeding the ideal number of beds.

What is Hospital Bed Density?

A hospital bed density is the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people.

In countries with high bed densities, such as the United States, there are more beds available for patients than in countries with low bed densities, such as Japan.

Hospitals that can afford to have a high bed density may be able to treat more patients in a shorter amount of time than hospitals that have a low bed density.

What Affects Hospital Bed Density?

There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on a variety of factors, including the size and population of the country, the age and health condition of its citizens, and the availability of medical resources. In general, however, experts believe that there should be about 150 hospital beds per 100,000 people.

What Is The Ideal Number Of Hospital Beds Per Population?

There is no definitive answer to this question as it varies depending on the country and its health care needs. According to World Health Organization, “there is no global standard for the density of hospital beds in relation to the total population.” But the rule of thumb is the more hospital bed capacity, the better for the population.

However, a study published in The Journal of Hospital Medicine in 2016 suggested that there should be at least six hospital beds for every 1,000 residents. This would allow for enough beds to accommodate the estimated 86% of hospital patients who are discharged within 72 hours. Additionally, it would help to reduce the amount of time patients spend in the hospital and help to improve patient satisfaction rates.

How Do You Calculate Hospital Beds Density?

There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on a variety of factors, including the size and population of a particular area, the needs of the local healthcare system, and the availability of hospital beds.

However, as a general guideline, hospitals should have at least 150 beds per 100,000 people. This would ensure that there are enough beds available to accommodate any patients who may need them, while also limiting the amount of overcrowding that may occur.

What Are The Benefits Of A Higher Hospital Beds Density?

It depends on a number of factors, including the size and location of the population, the age, and health profile of that population, and the type of health care services offered. However, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2013 found that an optimal hospital bed density is 1.5 beds per 1,000 people. This means that for every 1,000 people in a given area, there should be at least 150 hospital beds available.

Conclusion

There are many factors that affect bed density. The number of hospital beds per population is an important measure of how well hospitals are utilizing their resources. In order to get a good understanding of how the number of hospital beds per population varies around the world, it is useful to look at some specific examples (see below chart).

Hospital Bed Density Per Country

Source: Index Mundi

Rank	Country	Hospital bed density (beds/1,000 population)
1	Greenland	14
2	Monaco	13.8
3	Korea, North	13.2
4	Japan	13.1
5	Korea, South	12.3
6	Belarus	10.8
7	Russia	8.1
8	Germany	8
9	Mongolia	8
10	Bulgaria	7.5
11	Ukraine	7.5
12	Austria	7.4
13	Hungary	7
14	Romania	6.9
15	Poland	6.6
16	Lithuania	6.6
17	Czech Republic	6.6
18	Gabon	6.3
19	Kazakhstan	6.1
20	France	6
21	Barbados	6
22	Slovakia	5.8
23	Moldova	5.8
24	Belgium	5.7
25	Serbia	5.6
26	Latvia	5.6
27	Croatia	5.5
28	Hong Kong	5.4
29	Cuba	5.3
30	Argentina	5
31	Nauru	5
32	Palau	4.8
33	Azerbaijan	4.8
34	Saint Kitts and Nevis	4.8
35	Switzerland	4.7
36	Tajikistan	4.7
37	Estonia	4.7
38	Luxembourg	4.7
39	Malta	4.5
40	Slovenia	4.5
41	Kyrgyzstan	4.4
42	Macedonia	4.3
43	Maldives	4.3
44	China	4.3
45	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	4.3
46	Sri Lanka	4.2
47	Greece	4.2
48	Armenia	4.2
49	Faroe Islands	4.1
50	Uzbekistan	4
51	Turkmenistan	4
52	Montenegro	3.9
53	Dominica	3.8
54	Australia	3.8
55	San Marino	3.8
56	Seychelles	3.6
57	Grenada	3.6
58	Norway	3.6
59	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3.5
60	Mauritius	3.4
61	Portugal	3.4
62	Netherlands	3.3
63	Finland	3.3
64	Micronesia, Federated States of	3.2
65	Italy	3.2
66	Libya	3.2
67	Iceland	3.1
68	Israel	3
69	Suriname	3
70	Ireland	3
71	Bahamas, The	3
72	Spain	3
73	Trinidad and Tobago	3
74	Sao Tome and Principe	2.9
75	Albania	2.9
76	Antigua and Barbuda	2.9
77	Brunei	2.9
78	Georgia	2.9
79	Turkey	2.8
80	Namibia	2.7
81	New Zealand	2.7
82	Marshall Islands	2.7
83	Lebanon	2.7
84	Denmark	2.6
85	Vietnam	2.6
86	Tonga	2.6
87	United Kingdom	2.5
88	Singapore	2.5
89	Canada	2.5
90	Andorra	2.5
91	Uruguay	2.4
92	South Africa	2.3
93	Panama	2.3
94	Comoros	2.2
95	Saudi Arabia	2.2
96	Sweden	2.2
97	Tunisia	2.2
98	Thailand	2.1
99	Swaziland	2.1
100	Brazil	2.1
101	Equatorial Guinea	2.1
102	Chile	2.1
103	Cape Verde	2.1
104	Fiji	2
105	Kuwait	2
106	Zambia	2
107	Kiribati	1.9
108	Malaysia	1.9
109	Cambodia	1.9
110	Algeria	1.9
111	Botswana	1.8
112	Bahrain	1.7
113	Colombia	1.7
114	Bhutan	1.7
115	Guyana	1.7
116	Jamaica	1.7
117	Zimbabwe	1.7
118	Iran	1.6
119	Peru	1.6
120	Dominican Republic	1.6
121	Mexico	1.5
122	Oman	1.5
123	Jordan	1.5
124	Laos	1.5
125	Kenya	1.4
126	Ecuador	1.4
127	Egypt	1.4
128	Djibouti	1.4
129	Solomon Islands	1.4
130	Syria	1.4
131	United Arab Emirates	1.4
132	Saint Lucia	1.3
133	West Bank	1.3
134	Bolivia	1.3
135	Cameroon	1.3
136	Gaza Strip	1.3
137	Iraq	1.3
138	Malawi	1.3
139	Qatar	1.3
140	El Salvador	1.2
141	Gambia, The	1.1
142	Costa Rica	1.1
143	Central African Republic	1
144	Burma	1
145	Belize	1
146	Guinea-Bissau	1
147	Philippines	1
148	Morocco	1
149	Indonesia	1
150	Nicaragua	0.9
151	Ghana	0.9
152	Somalia	0.9
153	Venezuela	0.9
154	Bangladesh	0.8
155	Burundi	0.8
156	Paraguay	0.8
157	Liberia	0.8
158	Mozambique	0.7
159	Haiti	0.7
160	Eritrea	0.7
161	Togo	0.7
162	Tanzania	0.7
163	Sudan	0.7
164	Yemen	0.7
165	Pakistan	0.6
166	Honduras	0.6
167	India	0.5
168	Benin	0.5
169	Uganda	0.5
170	Burkina Faso	0.4
171	Afghanistan	0.4
172	Guatemala	0.4
173	Niger	0.4
174	Nepal	0.3
175	Guinea	0.3
176	Ethiopia	0.3
177	Senegal	0.3
178	Madagascar	0.2
179	Mali	0.1

Further readings and data

• World Health Organization – Hospital bed density Data by country 
• Statista – Hospital bed density in select countries as of 2019 
• The World Bank – Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 
• OECD – Hospital beds