Which OECD countries have the longest average hospital stays?

The average length of stay in hospitals (ALOS) is often used as an indicator of how efficiently hospitals eliminate the root cause of an illness or medical condition. It accounts for all components of treating an illness or injury, including diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical procedures, as well as obstetric services. It excludes other areas of care such as rehabilitative care, long-term care, and palliative care. It is generally calculated by dividing the total number of days all patients stayed in a hospital during a year by the number of admissions or discharges. Day cases are not included.

With all things equal, shorter hospital stays typically mean more efficient hospital care. It can signal that patients are getting the tests and treatments to address acute conditions and are well enough to be discharged and seek ongoing treatment outside of a hospital. Shorter stays also reduce overall expenses by reducing staff and medication costs. However, shorter stays can indicate premature discharges, which increase the risk that patients won’t fully recover or that their conditions may worsen due to inadequate care.

How does the average length of hospital stays compare across the OECD?

Among the 32 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with comparable data, patients in Japan stayed the longest in hospitals. In 2022, the average hospital stay in Japan was 16.1 days. That’s nearly twice Portugal’s duration of 9.1 days, the second-longest average hospital stay in the OECD. Canada follows Portugal at 8.0 days. The United Kingdom ranks fourth at 7.9 days, while Germany comes in fifth at 7.5 days. At the other end of the spectrum are Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and Turkey, which had the shortest average hospital stays of 5.4, 4.9, 4.9, 4.6, and 4.2 days, respectively.

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