The question
How many hospitals are there in your region? How many hospital beds per 1,000 people? And which regions have more beds relative to their population?
The figure
According to GASTAT’s statistics on health establishments, Saudi Arabia had 516 hospitals in 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1445 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1446 AH), 350 of them government and 166 private. They had 82,721 beds.
That means 2.34 beds per 1,000 people, as published by GASTAT. It was 2.38 in 2023.
The number of hospitals rose by 17 on 2023, 16 of them private. Beds rose 3.3%, but the population rose 4.7%, so the number of beds per 1,000 people fell slightly.
Hospitals and beds increased, and the rate fell slightly
Saudi Arabia, 2023 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1444 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1445 AH) and 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah 1445 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1446 AH)
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Government hospitals | 349 | 350 |
| Private hospitals | 150 | 166 |
| All hospitals | 499 | 516 |
| All beds | 80,072 | 82,721 |
| Beds per 1,000 people | 2.38 | 2.34 |
Where are there more beds per 1,000 people?
The highest rate is in the Northern Borders at 3.60 beds per 1,000 people, then Al-Baha at 3.57. The lowest rate is in Makkah at 2.01, then Madinah at 2.12.
9 regions are above the national rate, and 4 below it: Makkah, Madinah, Jazan and Riyadh, with Riyadh at 2.32, close to the national rate. These four regions are home to 62.7% of Saudi Arabia’s population, by our calculation from the publication’s figures.
Most hospitals are in the large regions: Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province have 58.3% of the hospitals and 64.8% of the beds. Riyadh has 115 hospitals, 50 of them private. In Al-Baha and the Northern Borders, all hospitals are government ones.
And primary care?
In 2024 Saudi Arabia had 2,172 government primary care centres and 3,607 private medical complexes. The publication shows them in one table, but they are not of the same kind.
What this means for your decision
The figures describe what was in 2023 and 2024, and do not predict what will happen.
- For anyone moving to a region or choosing where to live: look at the number of hospitals and beds in your region in the table. A higher rate does not mean better service, and a lower one does not mean worse service.
- For anyone studying opening a clinic, a pharmacy or a health service: the four regions below the national rate are home to 62.7% of the population, and 32.2% of Saudi Arabia’s hospitals are private. Any health activity needs a Ministry of Health licence before it starts.
- For researchers: the rate per 1,000 people changes with the population, and the population grew faster than beds between 2023 and 2024.
Analytical reading, not financial advice.
Full official figures: Education, health and communications: the official figures · Population by region and city · How old are people in Saudi Arabia now? (reading)(Arabic) · All insights(Arabic)
Translated from the Arabic reading; the Arabic text is the original. The original reading(Arabic)