Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) in South Korea
South Korea: Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) was 12.81 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Hospital beds in South Korea, 1980–2022
Source: WHO data, supplemented by country data, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 12.81 per 1,000 people for hospital beds in 2022. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, hospital beds in South Korea peaked at 12.81 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.7 per 1,000 people, in 1980.
South Korea ranks 2nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.7 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1985 | 2.4 per 1,000 people | +41.2% |
| 1989 | 3 per 1,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1990 | 3.1 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 3.3 per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 3.5 per 1,000 people | +6.1% |
| 1993 | 3.7 per 1,000 people | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 4.1 per 1,000 people | +10.8% |
| 1995 | 4.4 per 1,000 people | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 4.6 per 1,000 people | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 4.8 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 5.1 per 1,000 people | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.6 per 1,000 people | +9.8% |
| 2000 | 4.68 per 1,000 people | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 4.48 per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 4.87 per 1,000 people | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 5.13 per 1,000 people | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 5.46 per 1,000 people | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 5.94 per 1,000 people | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 6.54 per 1,000 people | +10.1% |
| 2007 | 7.32 per 1,000 people | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 7.84 per 1,000 people | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 8.32 per 1,000 people | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 8.88 per 1,000 people | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 9.68 per 1,000 people | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 10.38 per 1,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2013 | 11 per 1,000 people | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 11.63 per 1,000 people | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 11.62 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 11.97 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 12.26 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 12.43 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 12.43 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12.65 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 12.75 per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 12.81 per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12.81 per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.3 per 1,000 people, 3.9× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12.81 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.44 per 1,000 people, 5.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +41.2% | 1.7 per 1,000 people | 2.4 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.37 per 1,000 people | 1.7 per 1,000 people | 3 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.22 per 1,000 people | 3.1 per 1,000 people | 5.6 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.06 per 1,000 people | 4.48 per 1,000 people | 8.32 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.23 per 1,000 people | 8.88 per 1,000 people | 12.43 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.74 per 1,000 people | 12.65 per 1,000 people | 12.81 per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is hospital beds in South Korea?
- Hospital beds in South Korea was 12.81 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to WHO data, supplemented by country data, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest hospital beds recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 12.81 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest hospital beds recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7 per 1,000 people in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for hospital beds?
- South Korea ranks 2nd out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is hospital beds rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from WHO data, supplemented by country data, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Hospital beds (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Hospital beds include inpatient beds available in public, private, general, and specialized hospitals and rehabilitation centers. In most cases beds for both acute and chronic care are included.