Hospital Bed Capacity Across Saudi Arabia's Regions
This report maps hospital bed capacity across Saudi Arabia's thirteen administrative regions, drawing on the Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024, cross-checked against the 2023 edition, with regional population from the 2022 GASTAT census. In 2024, the Kingdom counted 516 hospitals and 82,721 beds nationwide, up 7.4% from 76,988 in 2019. The headline finding is distributional: Riyadh, Makkah and the Eastern Province hold the largest bed counts in absolute terms, yet several of the Kingdom's most populous regions, including Makkah, Jazan and Madinah, report fewer beds per 10,000 residents than the national average. The sections below set out the national totals, the regional and sector breakdowns, and renal-care capacity, each sourced to a specific yearbook table.
Key findings
- Large, populous regions — Makkah (22.0 beds per 10,000), Jazan (23.0) and Madinah (23.1) — sit below the national per-capita average despite high absolute bed counts.
- The Ministry of Health operated 46,905 beds (57%), other government bodies 15,192 (18%) and the private sector 20,624 (25%) of the national total in 2024.
- Total beds rose 7.4% over six years, from 76,988 in 2019 to 82,721 in 2024.
- The private sector's share of beds is highest in the Eastern Province (37%), Riyadh (34%) and Makkah (26%) — a quarter of all beds nationwide.
- Riyadh (22,100), Makkah (17,633) and the Eastern Province (13,862) hold the largest absolute bed counts of any region.
- The smallest-population regions report the highest density: Northern Borders (39.1 beds per 10,000), Al Bahah (38.2) and Al Jouf (33.1).
The national picture
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024 records 516 hospitals and 82,721 hospital beds nationwide, across the Ministry of Health, other government bodies and the private sector combined. The count has risen steadily over the past six years, from 76,988 beds in 2019 to 82,721 in 2024 — an increase of 7.4%.
The table below sets out the full six-year series. Later sections break the 2024 total down by region, by per-capita density and by sector.
Ministry of Health, Statistical Yearbook 2024 (Table 2-2, 2-3, 2-4)
| Year | Hospitals | Total beds | MOH beds | Private beds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 504 | 76,988 | 44,665 | 19,146 | |
| 2020 | 510 | 78,596 | 45,180 | 19,427 | |
| 2021 | 503 | 77,224 | 45,330 | 17,889 | |
| 2022 | 499 | 78,440 | 45,470 | 17,813 | |
| 2023 | 499 | 80,072 | 47,305 | 18,197 | |
| 2024 | 516 | 82,721 | 46,905 | 20,624 |
How beds are distributed by region
In absolute terms, bed capacity concentrates in the Kingdom's largest regions. Riyadh reports 22,100 beds, the highest of any region, followed by Makkah with 17,633 and the Eastern Province with 13,862. Together these three regions account for a substantial share of the national total of 82,721 beds.
The full regional breakdown is set out in the table below. Because bed counts largely track population and hospital-network size, ranking regions by absolute beds mainly reflects their size — the next section looks at capacity relative to population instead.
Ministry of Health, Statistical Yearbook 2024 (Table 2-2, 2-3, 2-4)
| Region | MOH beds | Other gov. | Private | Total beds | Population (2022) | Beds / 10,000 | Dialysis centres | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | 8,457 | 6,215 | 7,428 | 22,100 | 8,591,748 | 25.7 | 40 | |
| Makkah | 9,225 | 3,860 | 4,548 | 17,633 | 8,021,463 | 22 | 33 | |
| Eastern | 6,511 | 2,242 | 5,109 | 13,862 | 5,125,254 | 27 | 25 | |
| Asir | 3,400 | 681 | 1,294 | 5,375 | 2,024,285 | 26.6 | 25 | |
| Madinah | 3,118 | 804 | 1,026 | 4,948 | 2,137,983 | 23.1 | 16 | |
| Qassim | 3,324 | 400 | 363 | 4,087 | 1,336,179 | 30.6 | 22 | |
| Jazan | 2,915 | 71 | 250 | 3,236 | 1,404,997 | 23 | 17 | |
| Tabuk | 1,920 | 593 | 136 | 2,649 | 886,036 | 29.9 | 8 | |
| Hail | 1,940 | 0 | 260 | 2,200 | 746,406 | 29.5 | 10 | |
| Al Jouf | 1,940 | 0 | 30 | 1,970 | 595,822 | 33.1 | 8 | |
| Najran | 1,400 | 326 | 180 | 1,906 | 592,300 | 32.2 | 7 | |
| Northern Borders | 1,460 | 0 | 0 | 1,460 | 373,577 | 39.1 | 6 | |
| Al Bahah | 1,295 | 0 | 0 | 1,295 | 339,174 | 38.2 | 8 |
Access per capita: a regional comparison
Measured per person rather than in absolute terms, the ranking changes. The Ministry of Health states a national bed density of 23.4 per 10,000 population for 2024; applying the same 82,721 beds to the 2022 census population of 32,175,224 gives 25.7 per 10,000. Both describe an identical bed count — the difference is the population denominator used, not a difference in beds, and this report presents both.
Against that national average, the highest per-capita density is found in smaller-population regions: Northern Borders (39.1 beds per 10,000), Al Bahah (38.2) and Al Jouf (33.1). The lowest density is found in three of the Kingdom's larger, more populous regions — Makkah (22.0), Jazan (23.0) and Madinah (23.1) — each below the national average. Under the Kingdom's Vision 2030 health-sector expansion, these larger regions are a natural focus for added capacity as their populations grow.
General Authority for Statistics, 2022 Saudi Census — population by region
Public and private sectors
Of the 82,721 beds recorded nationally in 2024, the Ministry of Health operates 46,905 (57%), other government bodies operate 15,192 (18%) and the private sector operates 20,624 (25%). Government providers — Ministry of Health and other government combined — account for three-quarters of national bed capacity.
Private-sector capacity is not distributed evenly. Its share of regional beds is highest in the Eastern Province (37%), Riyadh (34%) and Makkah (26%), the same regions that lead in absolute bed counts and in population and economic scale.
Ministry of Health, Statistical Yearbook 2024 (Table 2-2, 2-3, 2-4)
Renal care capacity
The Ministry of Health yearbook also reports dialysis centres by region — the facilities themselves, not the number of dialysis machines they contain, which the Ministry has not published in any edition between 2021 and 2024. The chart below shows the regional distribution of Ministry of Health dialysis centres as recorded in the yearbook.
Centre-level figures should be read as indicative rather than exact: the Ministry's own tables report two different national totals for dialysis centres — 225 in one table and 125 in another — and this report has not attempted to reconcile them. Where a single verified regional figure could not be established, none is stated here.
Ministry of Health, Statistical Yearbook 2024 (Table 2-2, 2-3, 2-4)
Methodology
- Primary source: Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024, published by the Ministry as an Excel workbook, cross-checked against the 2023 edition, published as a PDF.
- The Ministry publishes regional data across 20 'branches and offices'; this report maps them to the Kingdom's 13 administrative regions. The Makkah, Eastern, Asir and Al Jouf regions each combine 2–4 branches.
- Population figures are the 2022 Saudi Census, as reproduced in the Ministry of Health yearbook and attributed to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
- Two bed-density figures are shown per 10,000 population: 23.4, as stated by the Ministry (its population denominator is not disclosed), and 25.7, calculated by applying the same 82,721 beds to the 2022 census population of 32,175,224. The difference is the denominator, not the bed count.
- Dialysis figures refer to centres, not machines: no count of dialysis machines has been published by the Ministry in any edition from 2021 to 2024, and the Ministry's own tables report two different national centre totals (225 and 125), so centre-level figures are indicative.
- All figures are presented as published in the cited sources, without adjustment beyond the per-10,000 recalculation described above. This edition does not include Egypt figures.
FAQ
How many hospital beds are there in Saudi Arabia?
According to the Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024, Saudi Arabia had 82,721 hospital beds across 516 hospitals in 2024, including the Ministry of Health, other government providers and the private sector combined. The total has grown from 76,988 beds in 2019, an increase of 7.4% over six years.
Which region has the most beds?
Riyadh has the most beds of any region, with 22,100 in 2024, followed by Makkah with 17,633 and the Eastern Province with 13,862. These three regions hold the largest hospital networks in the Kingdom, though ranking by absolute beds mainly reflects each region's population size rather than access per resident.
Which region has the fewest beds per person?
Measured per 10,000 population using the 2022 census, Makkah has the lowest density at 22.0, followed by Jazan at 23.0 and Madinah at 23.1 — all below the national average. These are large, populous regions with high absolute bed counts, and are a natural focus for continued capacity expansion under Vision 2030.
What share of beds is private?
The private sector operates 20,624 beds, 25% of the national total of 82,721 in 2024. The Ministry of Health operates 46,905 beds (57%) and other government bodies operate 15,192 (18%). The private-sector share is highest in the Eastern Province (37%), Riyadh (34%) and Makkah (26%).
What is the source of this report?
Figures are drawn from the Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024, cross-checked against the 2023 edition, with regional population from the 2022 Saudi Census conducted by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Full source details and table references are listed at the end of this report.
Cite this report
Suggested citation:
HOSPIcare. "Hospital Bed Capacity Across Saudi Arabia's Regions." September 3, 2026. https://hospicare.com/en/reports/hospital-beds-saudi-arabia
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