Choosing a hospital is a crucial decision that can significantly influence a patient’s recovery and well-being. In order to help patients make informed choices, Newsweek magazine, in collaboration with the analysis firm Statista, has published the World’s Best Hospitals 2025 ranking, which highlights the most outstanding hospitals worldwide and by country.
This ranking is based on an exhaustive evaluation process that includes several key criteria:
- Online surveys
Thousands of medical experts, including doctors, hospital managers and other healthcare professionals, participated by providing recommendations on hospitals in their field of expertise.
- Patient experience data
Data on patient satisfaction and experiences at various institutions was collected and analyzed.
- Hospital quality metrics
Indicators such as patient safety, hygiene measures and quality of treatment were evaluated.
- PROMs Implementation Survey
The implementation of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) was considered, which are standardized questionnaires completed by patients to measure their perception of their functional well-being and quality of life.
World-renowned hospitals
In the most recent ranking of the 250 best hospitals in the world, US institutions once again top the list.
However, Spanish hospitals have gained prestige and have managed to stand out in this ranking. At ETKHO, we have actively participated in many of them.
Spain is well represented in this ranking. Among the best-ranked hospitals are:
- Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid), in 49th place, recognized for its wide range of specialties and its commitment to research and teaching.
- Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Barcelona), in 64th place, which stands out for its excellence in medical care and its research work in various areas of medicine.
- Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid), ranked 68th, known for its high-quality care and its participation in both national and international research projects.
- Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón (Madrid), ranked 75th, stands out for its innovation in treatments and its focus on training healthcare professionals.
- Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron (Barcelona), in 80th place, is a leader in multiple medical specialties and in the implementation of advanced health technologies.
Rankings such as the World’s Best Hospitals 2025 offer a valuable guide for both patients and healthcare professionals. They help identify hospitals that stand out for their quality of care, innovation and patient satisfaction. They also foster healthy competition between institutions, which encourages continuous improvement of their services and processes.
The best hospitals in Spain 2024 (public and private) according to the IEH
The Instituto Coordenadas de Gobernanza y Economía Aplicada has published the ninth edition of its Hospital Excellence Index (IEH) 2024, an annual ranking that evaluates the quality and excellence of hospitals in Spain, both public and private.
The IEH is structured in three categories:
1. IEH General
This index identifies the 10 best hospitals in Spain. This year, the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz tops the list.
2. IEH Autonómico
Highlights the five best hospitals in each autonomous community. In this edition, Madridconsolidates its position as leader with five hospitals in the top ten, followed by Catalonia with four and the Valencian Community with one.
3. IEH Specialties
Recognizes the three best hospitals in 12 medical and surgical disciplines each year. In this ranking, the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz leads in three specialties: Gynecology, Pulmonology and Medical Oncology. It is followed by the Hospital Universitario La Paz, which occupies the first position in Pediatrics and Rheumatology.
The best hospitals in Spain 2024 according to MERCO
MERCO (Monitor Empresarial de Reputación Corporativa) has been a benchmark in Latin America for evaluating business reputation since 2000. Its methodology is based on a multistakeholder approach and it has six evaluations and more than 20 sources of information, which makes it a rigorous and transparent measurement system.
MERCO is the first audited monitor worldwide, with an independent verification process carried out by KPMG under the ISAE 3000 standard. Each year, its opinion is published together with the weighting criteria and the results, which are publicly available.
In the category of public hospitals, the highest rated centers are:
Hospital Universitario La Paz.
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón.
Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
In the private sector, the best-positioned hospitals are:
Clínica Universidad de Navarra.
Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud Madrid.
Hospital Universitario Sanitas La Zarzuela.
IQVIA presents the Top 20 Hospitals Awards 2024
IQVIA has held a new edition of its Top 20 Hospitals Awards 2024, reaching a record participation with more than 200 hospitals from the Spanish public-private network.
This year, the awards have incorporated two new categories: Analysis of Emergency Services and Hospital Costs, bringing the total number of award categories to 13. The autonomous communities with the highest number of awards were Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community, consolidating their leadership in the hospital sector.