More than 216,000 hospitals are listed around the world. Here are the best according to Newsweek magazine’s famous annual ranking.
Every year, Newsweek magazine publishes a widely watched ranking of the world’s best hospitals, produced with the analytics company Statista. More than 2,500 hospitals were assessed this year in 32 different countries. A special mention was awarded to the 250 best establishments in the world. The top five in the 2026 ranking are Mayo Clinic – Rochester (Minnesota), Toronto General – University Health Network (Toronto), Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland), Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset (Stockholm) and Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston).
To establish this ranking, several criteria are taken into account. Tens of thousands of healthcare professionals – doctors, hospital directors and industry experts – are invited to recommend the establishments they consider to be the best performing. These opinions are then supplemented by data on the quality and safety of care, patient experience and various hospital indicators. The objective is to identify medical centers that combine clinical excellence, innovation and quality of care.
Fifteen French hospitals appear in the 2026 ranking, two fewer than in 2025. The first French establishment appears very close to the world’s top 10: it is the Pitié-Salpêtrière university hospital, in Paris. This Public Assistance – Paris Hospitals establishment ranks 11th best hospital in the world according to Newsweek’s 2026 ranking, making it the first French hospital in the list.
This position is notable in a ranking largely dominated by the United States, of which several hospital centers occupy the first places. Succeeding in rising to this level demonstrates the international recognition of French medical teams, particularly in large university hospitals which combine care, teaching and research.
Located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière is one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It consists of 90 buildings housing 77 health services. The establishment is particularly recognized for its neurology, cardiology and psychiatry centers, but also for its medical research activities. This combination of cutting-edge care, innovation and training largely explains its place among the best hospitals in the world, according to the ranking published by Newsweek. It was already the best French hospital last year and managed to maintain its 11th place.
