World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2026

Smart hospitals leverage state-of-the-art technology to fundamentally rethink how care is delivered within the health system. Utilizing these advanced technologies can not only enhance care delivery outcomes and efficiencies within the hospital but also support broader health goals related to prevention, population health and quality-of-life outcomes. 

To enhance transparency around hospitals’ efforts to implement digital health technologies worldwide, Statista and Newsweek have partnered once again to recognize the 350 leading World’s Best Smart Hospitals worldwide. This year’s ranking features hospitals from 30 countries and highlights standout categories in specific areas of digital innovation.

The ranking is based on three data sources:

1 – International online survey: Hospital managers and health care professionals with knowledge about smart hospitals were asked to recommend leading smart hospitals across the globe.
2 – Statista Smart Hospitals Maturity Survey: Implementation and usage of digital technologies in the hospital across 10 topics was assessed by hospitals and validated by Chief Digital/ nformation Officers or Senior Management.
3 – JCI Accreditation: The Joint Commission International hospital accreditation, which is related to the concept of smart hospitals and a highly regarded marker of quality in health care, was included in the scoring model.

Desk research was performed for every nominated hospital as a validation of their technical innovations and leadership role in the field of smart hospitals.

The top 350 list includes smart hospitals from 30 different countries: United States (103), Germany (24), United Kingdom (22), France (20), Italy (18), South Korea (17), Spain (16),  Canada (13), Switzerland (12), Japan (10), Singapore (10), The Netherlands (7), United Arab Emirates (7), Brazil (5) Denmark (5), Israel (5), Norway (5), Finland (4), Sweden (4), Austria (3), Belgium (3), India (2), Malaysia (2), Thailand (2), Columbia (1), Lebanon (1) and Mexico (1).

Scoring Model
▸Reputation Score (77.5 percent)
▸Statista Smart Hospitals Maturity Survey (20 percent)
▸JCI Accreditation (2.5 percent)

There are two subcomponents within the recommendations: international and national recommendations. International recommendations from medical professionals received a higher weight of 42.5 percent toward the reputation score, reinforcing the international focus of this ranking. National recommendations from experts account for 35 percent of each hospital's reputation score. Recommendation data from the last two years was factored into the reputation pillar, to account for reputational continuity.

International hospital survey
During the survey period from May to July 2025, Statista invited hospital managers and medical professionals with knowledge about smart hospitals to an online survey. Participants were invited via email. The survey was also promoted on newsweek.com.
For participation on newsweek.com, email verification was mandatory. Participants were asked to recommend hospitals that are notable smart hospitals. Recommendations for own employer/hospital were not allowed. A score was calculated for each hospital based on the number of recommendations. 

Additionally, participants could name a standout category for the recommended hospital: artificial intelligence, electronic functionalities, patient safety technologies, robotics, telemedicine and virtualization.

Statista Smart Hospitals Maturity Survey
Hospitals were invited to participate in the Statista Smart Hospitals Maturity Survey to assess the implementation and usage of smart technologies in the hospital. The questionnaire is structured around 10 topics and was designed with the guidance of Statista’s global board of experts. An overview of the current members of the expert boards can be found below. Survey results had to be validated by an authorized person from the hospital e.g., Managing Director/Senior Management or Chief Information/Digital Officer to be qualified for the evaluation. 

To highlight the efforts of participating hospitals in smart hospital technologies, the publication displays one to three ribbons indicating their level of excellence.

The survey was structured around the 10 following topics: 
1 – Accreditations (e.g., accreditations or certifications obtained pertaining to information technology)

2 - Artificial Intelligence (e.g., usage of AI and machine learning tools for data analysis and evaluation)

3 - Electronic Functionalities (e.g., available options for patients via the patient portal)

4 - Employee Satisfaction Surveys (e.g., regarding the effectiveness of digital technologies and services)

5 - Hospital Information System (e.g., implementation status of laboratory information system)

6 - Patient Safety Technologies (e.g., implementation of decision support tools to identify potential risks)

7 - Patient Satisfaction Surveys (e.g., regarding the effectiveness of digital technologies and services)

8 - Robotics (e.g., implementation and evaluation of robotic surgery)

9 - Telemedicine (e.g., implementation of technical equipment to conduct teleconsultations)

10 - Virtualization (e.g., usage or Virtual and Augmented Reality in patient services or departments)

Future cycles will be announced on newsweek.com and via email to preregistered participants. Preregistration for future cycles is available here.

JCI Accreditation
The Joint Commission International, a worldwide leader in advancing quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare, signifies a health care organization’s dedication to achieving high standards of quality and patient safety.

While the JCI Accreditation itself is not explicitly labeled as a smart hospital accreditation, it is inherently related to the concept of smart hospitals, as it supports the implementation of advanced technologies and practices that enhance the overall quality of health care delivery. The accreditation standards for hospitals include aspects such as information technology, data-driven decision-making and general continuous improvement.

For health care organizations from the United States, the accreditation from the Joint Commission was used as an equivalent.

Global board of medical experts
A global board of renowned experts provides guidance for the methodology of the ranking:

Prof. Dr. David Bates, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, U.S.

Dr. Gary Kaplan, CEO Emeritus, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, CommonSpirit Board of Trustees, U.S.

Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Meier, Director, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland

Prof. Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, MD, Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer, Sheba Medical Center, Israel

Prof. Dr. Gregory Katz, Chair of Innovation Management & Value in Health, University of Paris Medical School, France

Dr. med. Jens Deerberg-Wittram, Senior Fellow, Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research CPCOR, Germany

Download the full methodology here.

Download the extended methodology here.

Disclaimer
The rankings are comprised exclusively of hospitals that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. A mention in the ranking is a positive recognition based on peer recommendations and publicly available data sources at the time. The ranking is the result of an elaborate process which, due to the interval of data-collection and analysis, is a reflection of the last calendar year. Furthermore, events preceding or following the period July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025, and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated with the facilities were not included in the metrics. As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.

The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about hospitals or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to a facility. The quality of hospitals that are not included in the rankings is not disputed.

About Statista R
Statista R is a world leader in the creation of company, brand and product rankings and top lists, based on comprehensive market research and data analysis: Statista R recognizes the best. With a team of over 100 expert analysts and in cooperation with more than 40 high-profile media brands across all continents, Statista R creates transparency for consumers and business decision-makers and helps companies build trust and recognition across a plethora of industries and product categories. Visit r.statista.com.         

Statista R is a division of Statista. The leading data and business intelligence portal provides an extensive collection of statistics, reports and insights on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 industries. Find out more at statista.com.