The 2024 Newsweek list of top hospitals worldwide lists the following hospitals as hitting the heights of excellence in patient treatments and outcomes
Every year, Newsweek releases its list of the world's best hospitals 2024, which it compiles in association with data-gathering specialist, Statista. The list contains more hospitals from the US than any other country.
The following are the best 10 hospitals in Europe. These healthcare organisations, says Newsweek, "share a commitment to achieving excellence regarding patient treatments and results".
01. Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Country: Germany
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin was founded n 1710. Its specialties include neurology, oncology and infectious diseases, while on the research side its focus is on precision medicine and biomedical engineering.
Clinical trials include those in rare diseases, and it also offers medical, nursing, and allied health-professional training. It performs an estimated 60,000 procedures annually, treats over 900,000 patients and conducts around 400 clinical trials per year.
02. Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset
Country: Sweden (Stockholm)
Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, founded in 1940, is a well-established training hospital, offers medical and nursing training. It conducts around 300 clinical trials a year, and every year treats roughly 1.5 million patients and performs 70,000 procedures.
Its research programmes focus on cancer treatment and stem cell therapy. It specialises in neurology, cardiology, and orthopaedics.
03. Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière
Country: France (Paris)
Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière offers medical, nursing, and allied health professional training. It is rated highly by French health authorities, with accreditation for its quality of care and patient outcomes.
It conducts around 200 clinical trials per year. It treats over 1 million patients annually and performs 60,000 procedures. Its research programmes focus on neuroscience, psychiatry, and rehabilitation. It was founded in 1613.
04. Universitätsspital Zürich
Country: Switzerland
Founded in 1204, Universitätsspital Zürich specialises in neurology, cardiology, and oncology. It conducts research programmes in genetics, precision medicine, and infectious diseases.
It is highly rated by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. Universitätsspital is a noted training hospital and each year treats over 500,000 patients, performs 60,000 procedures and runs 200 clinical trials
05. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
Country: Switzerland
Known as CHUV, this hospital was established in 1804, and is renowned for medical innovations such as pioneering open-heart surgery, electrocardiogram diagnosis, and IVF births. Employing over 11,000 people, CHUV has conducted groundbreaking trials in cancer immunotherapy, stem cell therapy, and gene editing.
Alumni include surgical pioneer César Roux, founder of Haiti's medical school Theodore Trouillot, and emergency triage developer Judith Randolph.
06. Universitätsspital Basel
Country: Swizerland
Founded in 1822, Universitätsspital Basel is a leading Swiss medical centre. Notable events from its history include, in 1904 it carrying out the first benign brain tumour removal. Also, during WWII, it ran a secret maternity ward to protect Jewish refugees.
Employing around 7,800 people, significant trials include foetal surgery, and it also trains over 1,000 medical students annually through its renowned residency programs. Notable alumni include pioneering surgeon Theodor Kocher, who won a Nobel Prize for thyroid research, and psychiatrist Carl Jung, who founded analytical psychology.
07. Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Country: Germany
Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg employs 13,000 staff, and has seen a number of ‘firsts’ in its history. This includes being the first hospital to offer industrial accident insurance, in 1884, while in 1901 it admitting the first female medical students in Germany.
It was established in 1388, making it one of Europe's oldest university clinics still operating today. In that time it has been home to physician Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology, and Nobel laureate physician, Philipp Lenard, who carried out groundbreaking work on cathode rays. It also runs groundbreaking trials in gene and stem cell therapies.
08. Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou
Country: France
Established in 2000, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou is a cutting-edge medical facility employing over 4,500 staff. It conducted pioneering trials in robotic surgery and was the first European hospital to use the da Vinci surgical system, which uses a minimally invasive surgical approach.
Notable alumni include cardiovascular surgeon Alain Carpentier, who invented innovative heart valve replacements. Renowned for transplant expertise, in 2019 it performed Europe's first simultaneous heart-kidney transplant from a non-brain-dead donor.
09. Rigshospitalet - København
Country: Denmark
Rigshospitalet is Denmark's largest hospital. Founded in 1757, it employs an estimated 10,000 staff. Pioneering achievements include the first radiation treatment for cancer in 1903 and the world's first insulin transplant for diabetes in 1913. As a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, over 2,500 students train here annually.
Significant trials cover immunotherapy, robotic surgery and foetal medicine. Notable alumni include physician Niels Finsen, who won the 1903 Nobel Prize for phototherapy, and surgeon Jens Gemzøe, who performed Scandinavia's first successful heart transplant in 1988.
10. Aarhus Universitetshospital
Country: Denmark
Established in 1935, Aarhus Universitetshospital is one of Denmark's leading university hospitals, employing around 11,500 staff. During WWII, it secretly treated Danish Resistance fighters. Pioneering feats include the world's first fallopian tube transplant in 1998 and Denmark's first robot-assisted kidney transplant in 2004.
As a teaching hospital affiliated with Aarhus University, over 1,800 medical students train here annually. Notable trials cover cancer immunotherapy and foetal surgery.
Alumni include Jørn Ditzel, who performed the world's first womb transplantation resulting in a live birth in 2014, and cardiac surgeon Arne Christiansen, who implanted the nation's first artificial heart valve in 1958.
