Health in Catalonia, Spain: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 84.3 years in 2024 (84 for Spain); 6th highest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain.
How much does Catalonia spend on health?
Catalonia budgets €11.35 billion for health in 2026, 24.7% of its spending (2nd lowest of 17 shares; average 31.4%), 0.8% less than in 2025.
Source: Ministerio de Hacienda · saved copyHow many people are on the surgery waiting list in Catalonia?
197,768 patients were waiting for planned surgery in the public health service of Catalonia on 31 December 2025, 23.2% of Spain's 853,740; that is 24.8 per 1,000 residents, a rate that ranks 2nd highest of 19 health services.
Source: Ministerio de Sanidad · saved copyHow long is the waiting list for an operation in Catalonia?
The average wait for surgery in Catalonia was 142 days at the end of 2025 (2nd longest of 19), and 32.0% of patients on the list had been waiting more than six months.
Source: Ministerio de Sanidad · saved copyHow long is the wait for knee or hip surgery in Catalonia?
Patients waiting for orthopaedic and trauma surgery in Catalonia had waited 154 days on average on 31 December 2025.
Source: Ministerio de Sanidad · saved copyHow long do you wait to see a specialist in Catalonia?
For a first appointment with a hospital specialist, 509,602 people were waiting in Catalonia at the end of 2025 (64.0 per 1,000 residents), with an average wait of 120 days, 5th longest of 19.
Source: Ministerio de Sanidad · saved copyWhat percentage of patients in Catalonia wait more than 60 days for a specialist?
In Catalonia, 72.3% of patients waiting for a first specialist consultation on 31 December 2025 had been waiting more than 60 days (5th highest of 19).
Source: Ministerio de Sanidad · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Catalonia?
The age-standardised death rate from all causes was 805.9 per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 828.8 nationally and 1,073.4 in the EU; 7th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. Age-standardised rates allow fair comparison between places with older and younger populations.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of cancer in Catalonia?
Cancer killed 207.6 people per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 210.0 for Spain as a whole and 233.1 across the EU; 7th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2015 it was 227.6.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Catalonia?
The age-standardised death rate from heart attacks, strokes and other circulatory diseases was 184.8 per 100,000 in 2023, against 200.2 for Spain as a whole and 312.9 across the EU; 6th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2015 it was 228.0.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Catalonia?
Respiratory diseases caused 78.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 81.4 for Spain as a whole and 75.2 across the EU; 8th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2015 it was 90.3.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Catalonia?
The age-standardised suicide rate was 7.6 per 100,000 in 2023, against 8.0 for Spain as a whole and 10.4 across the EU; 8th highest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2015 it was 6.6.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Catalonia?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 35.7 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 32.9 for Spain as a whole and 49.4 across the EU; 6th highest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2015 it was 37.3.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Catalonia?
The infant mortality rate was 3.0 per 1,000 live births in 2024, compared with 3.0 nationally and 3.5 in the EU; 9th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2014 it was 2.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many hospital beds does Catalonia have?
Hospitals in Catalonia had 360 beds for every 100,000 residents in 2024, compared with 283 nationally; the highest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many doctors are there in Catalonia?
There were 447 doctors per 100,000 people in 2024, compared with 464 nationally; 9th lowest of 18 autonomous communities in Spain.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people go to hospital in Catalonia?
Hospitals discharged 10,241 in-patients per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 8,983 nationally; 2nd highest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2012 it was 10,810.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyCan people in Catalonia get medical care?
0.9% of people said they could not get a medical examination they needed in 2025 because it was too expensive, too far or the waiting list was too long, against 1.6% for Spain as a whole; 4th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Catalonia?
Road accidents killed 32 people per million residents in 2024, compared with 36 nationally; 8th lowest of 19 autonomous communities in Spain. In 2014 it was 37.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Catalonia?
Women in Catalonia could expect to live to 86.7 and men to 81.6 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 5.1 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Catalonia?
People who reached 65 could expect 22.0 more years of life in 2024 (Spain: 21.9).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Catalonia compares with other autonomous communities
Health spending, share of the 2026 regional budget (2026)
Catalonia ranks 16 of 17, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Health spending, share of the 2026 regional budget |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Cantabria | 32.4% |
| 12 | Murcia | 32.0% |
| 13 | Basque Country | 30.9% |
| 14 | La Rioja | 30.8% |
| 15 | Valencian Community | 28.2% |
| 16 | Catalonia | 24.7% |
| 17 | Navarre | 23.1% |
Average wait for planned surgery, 31 Dec 2025 (days) (2025)
Catalonia ranks 2 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Average wait for planned surgery, 31 Dec 2025 (days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 173 days |
| 2 | Catalonia | 142 days |
| 3 | Cantabria | 137 days |
| 4 | Extremadura | 135 days |
| 5 | Aragón | 132 days |
| 6 | Castilla-La Mancha | 117 days |
| 7 | Canary Islands | 106 days |
Surgical patients waiting over six months, 31 Dec 2025 (2025)
Catalonia ranks 2 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Surgical patients waiting over six months, 31 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 32.2% |
| 2 | Catalonia | 32.0% |
| 3 | Cantabria | 26.2% |
| 4 | Extremadura | 23.1% |
| 5 | Balearic Islands | 22.4% |
| 6 | Aragón | 21.7% |
| 7 | Murcia | 19.3% |
Patients waiting for surgery per 1,000 residents, 31 Dec 2025 (2025)
Catalonia ranks 2 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Patients waiting for surgery per 1,000 residents, 31 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cantabria | 24.9 |
| 2 | Catalonia | 24.8 |
| 3 | La Rioja | 23.8 |
| 4 | Andalusia | 23.5 |
| 5 | Asturias | 22.1 |
| 6 | Extremadura | 22.0 |
| 7 | Murcia | 21.5 |
Average wait for a first specialist appointment, 31 Dec 2025 (days) (2025)
Catalonia ranks 5 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Average wait for a first specialist appointment, 31 Dec 2025 (days) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Navarre | 152 days |
| 3 | Aragón | 138 days |
| 4 | Andalusia | 136 days |
| 5 | Catalonia | 120 days |
| 6 | Extremadura | 112 days |
| 7 | Asturias | 103 days |
| 8 | Castilla y León | 102 days |
Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) (2021)
Catalonia ranks 13 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | La Rioja | 815.3 |
| 11 | Aragón | 811.6 |
| 12 | Balearic Islands | 807.4 |
| 13 | Catalonia | 805.9 |
| 14 | Galicia | 785.1 |
| 15 | Basque Country | 779.1 |
| 16 | Cantabria | 771.8 |
Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Catalonia ranks 13 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Extremadura | 213.0 |
| 11 | Valencian Community | 212.5 |
| 12 | Castilla y León | 212.4 |
| 13 | Catalonia | 207.6 |
| 14 | Ciudad de Melilla | 206.3 |
| 15 | Castilla-La Mancha | 206.0 |
| 16 | La Rioja | 203.8 |
Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Catalonia ranks 14 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Balearic Islands | 204.1 |
| 12 | Galicia | 192.4 |
| 13 | Castilla-La Mancha | 191.9 |
| 14 | Catalonia | 184.8 |
| 15 | Basque Country | 178.1 |
| 16 | Cantabria | 176.5 |
| 17 | Castilla y León | 169.3 |
Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Catalonia ranks 12 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Cantabria | 83.8 |
| 10 | Galicia | 79.7 |
| 11 | Valencian Community | 79.0 |
| 12 | Catalonia | 78.9 |
| 13 | Navarre | 74.7 |
| 14 | Asturias | 73.4 |
| 15 | Balearic Islands | 71.9 |
Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Catalonia ranks 8 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Andalusia | 9.1 |
| 6 | La Rioja | 8.6 |
| 7 | Valencian Community | 8.4 |
| 8 | Catalonia | 7.6 |
| 9 | Murcia | 7.5 |
| 10 | Castilla y León | 7.4 |
| 11 | Ciudad de Melilla | 7.2 |
Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 (2023)
Catalonia ranks 6 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Navarre | 39.6 |
| 4 | La Rioja | 39.2 |
| 5 | Canary Islands | 36.0 |
| 6 | Catalonia | 35.7 |
| 7 | Castilla y León | 35.0 |
| 8 | Cantabria | 34.2 |
| 9 | Castilla-La Mancha | 34.0 |
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2024)
Catalonia ranks 11 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Infant deaths per 1,000 live births |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Murcia | 3.4 |
| 9 | Canary Islands | 3.1 |
| 10 | Asturias | 3.1 |
| 11 | Catalonia | 3.0 |
| 12 | Castilla-La Mancha | 2.9 |
| 13 | La Rioja | 2.9 |
| 14 | Madrid | 2.8 |
Hospital beds per 100,000 people (2024)
Catalonia ranks 1 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital beds per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalonia | 360 |
| 2 | Asturias | 355 |
| 3 | Aragón | 352 |
| 4 | Castilla y León | 343 |
| 5 | Extremadura | 343 |
| 6 | Basque Country | 327 |
| 7 | La Rioja | 319 |
Doctors per 100,000 people (2024)
Catalonia ranks 10 of 18, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Doctors per 100,000 people |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Navarre | 514 |
| 8 | Canary Islands | 498 |
| 9 | Cantabria | 490 |
| 10 | Catalonia | 447 |
| 11 | Murcia | 446 |
| 12 | Castilla y León | 443 |
| 13 | Valencian Community | 438 |
Hospital in-patient discharges per 100,000 (2021)
Catalonia ranks 2 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital in-patient discharges per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aragón | 10,410 |
| 2 | Catalonia | 10,241 |
| 3 | Asturias | 10,128 |
| 4 | Basque Country | 10,126 |
| 5 | La Rioja | 9,912 |
| 6 | Castilla y León | 9,729 |
| 7 | Galicia | 9,684 |
Unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) (2025)
Catalonia ranks 16 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Extremadura | 1.1% |
| 14 | Asturias | 1.1% |
| 15 | Ciudad de Melilla | 1.1% |
| 16 | Catalonia | 0.9% |
| 17 | Balearic Islands | 0.9% |
| 18 | Basque Country | 0.8% |
| 19 | Murcia | 0.6% |
Road deaths per million people (2024)
Catalonia ranks 12 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Road deaths per million people |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Extremadura | 42 |
| 10 | Andalusia | 41 |
| 11 | Navarre | 39 |
| 12 | Catalonia | 32 |
| 13 | Cantabria | 32 |
| 14 | Canary Islands | 31 |
| 15 | Valencian Community | 30 |
More on Catalonia: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Spain
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy at birth, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 62800ed9bbb3…)
- Ministerio de Sanidad: Sistema de Información sobre Listas de Espera en el SNS (SISLE-SNS): data by autonomous community at 31 December 2025 (rectified), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6fe3e65b851a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset tran_r_acci: Victims in road accidents by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a183ad1f888d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_minfind: Infant mortality rates by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 60cbafea3657…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_co_disch2t: Hospital discharges by diagnosis and NUTS 2 region (in-patients), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d93487a1c1f9…)
- Ministerio de Hacienda: Presupuestos Generales de las Comunidades Autónomas, año 2026 (resumen ejecutivo, published 31 March 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81db80f35219…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_cd_asdr2: Causes of death: standardised death rate by NUTS 2 region of residence, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 308c4b705d5d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_silc_08_r: Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e5484460cdfc…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy by age, sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f5a2a33406b9…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_rs_physreg: Physicians by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4ff68eb77f8b…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_rs_bdsrg2: Hospital beds by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3178c155028f…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.