Dutch hospitals climb global rankings in 2026

Dutch hospitals have occupied eight spots in this year's global ranking by Newsweek. University hospitals in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Utrecht have scored best in the Netherlands. 

Best institutions in the Netherlands

In partnership with Statista, Newsweek has released its ranking of the World’s Best Hospitals 2026. They rated 2.500 hospitals in 32 countries, selected based on population size, life expectancy, standard of living, hospital density and availability of reliable data. Next to the Netherlands, this includes countries like Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the US.

While the Netherlands did not make the top five, it appeared eight times across the 250 specially recognised institutions. The Erasmus MC in Rotterdam has moved up from 48th to replace the Amsterdam UMC as the best hospital in the Netherlands at 31st globally. Amsterdam is now 36th in the global ranking, and second in the Netherlands. 

The UMC Utrecht, the Radboudumc in Nijmegen and the Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen were also able to improve their ranking compared to 2025. While the St. Antonius Ziekenhuis dropped down, the Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum in Leiden climbed to take 82nd place. Last year, Leiden was not included in the ranking at all.

Determining the quality of the world's hospitals

According to Statista, the projected number of hospitals worldwide for 2026 is 216,000. Being able to distinguish between them when in need of high-quality healthcare can be difficult. The World’s Best Hospital Ranking is based on four data sources.

Recommendations from medical experts such as doctors, hospital managers and healthcare professionals, as well as the experience of existing patients in the respective facilities, count towards the ranking. In 2026, Newsfeed and Statista decided to attribute more weight to hospital quality metrics, such as hygiene measures and quality of care for specific treatments.

The last data source is Statista’s Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM’s) Implementation Survey. PROM’s are standardised and validated questionnaires that measure patients' perception of their functional well-being and quality of life. At the end of 2025, Statista reached out to hospitals to determine how the PROM’s results had been implemented over the course of the year. The Erasmus MC was awarded three out of five possible PROM ribbons.

What are the best hospitals in the Netherlands?

Looking for a hospital in the Netherlands? Check out Newsweek and Statista's ranking of the top ten hospitals within the Netherlands:

1. Erasmus MC - Rotterdam
2. Amsterdam UMC - Amsterdam
3. UMC Utrecht - Utrecht
4. Radboudumc - Nijmegen
5. Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum - Leiden
6. Maastricht UMC+ - Maastricht
7. Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen - Groningen
8. St. Antoniius Ziekenhuis - Nieuwegein
9. HagaZiekenhuis Den Haag - The Hague
10. Isala Zwolle - Zwolle