There isn't one single definitive "biggest" due to different metrics (size, beds, complexity), but contenders for the largest hospital campus or facility in the Southern Hemisphere often point to Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEIIMC) in Perth (largest campus) and the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in Adelaide, noted as a huge, complex facility with 800 beds and massive scale, though the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital also boasts over 900 beds. Globally, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa is massive but often compared to large Asian hospitals.
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) in Queensland is generally considered Australia's biggest hospital, boasting around 1,000 beds and serving as a major public teaching and research facility for a vast range of specialties, including trauma, burns, and cancer care. It's part of the large Herston Health Precinct, making it a central hub for healthcare in Queensland, notes Metro North Health, Metro North Health, Metro North Health.
Top 10 largest hospitals in the world
In Australia, a Level 5 hospital typically refers to a large regional or base hospital that provides comprehensive acute and specialist care, managing most complex patients but referring the most critical cases to higher (Level 6) tertiary centres, offering services like intensive care, surgery, maternity, and various sub-specialties, acting as a key referral hub for surrounding smaller facilities. It's a step below the highest-level quaternary hospitals but significantly more advanced than local or district hospitals.
The top 10 largest hospitals in Asia (2024) are ranked by bed capacity:
The top 3 hospitals globally, according to Newsweek's 2025 World's Best Hospitals list,, are Mayo Clinic - Rochester, Cleveland Clinic, and Toronto General - University Health Network, though rankings can vary by region and publication, with Newsweek, Advisory Board, and other sources highlighting these and other leading institutions like Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
General Information. The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is the 3rd largest hospital in the world, occupying around 173 acres (0.70 km2), with approximately 3'200 beds and about 6'760 staff members. The facilities are housed in 429 buildings with a total surface area of 233'795 m2.
Protocol 37 has been developed for emergency inter-hospital transfers for patients who require a clinically time critical intervention which is not available within their current facility.
The lowest rank of a doctor, after medical school, is typically an Intern (or Junior House Officer/JMO), who is a newly graduated doctor working under supervision for their general registration, followed by a Resident (Resident Medical Officer/RMO), who has registration and rotates through different hospital departments, with both serving as foundational roles before specializing.
According to the latest 2025 CEOWORLD Health Care Index, Taiwan once again ranks as the country with the best healthcare in the world, maintaining its top position with an overall score of 78.72. South Korea (77.7) and Australia (74.11) remain in second and third place, respectively.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is consistently ranked as the #1 hospital in the world by publications like Newsweek and Statista, earning this title for multiple years due to its high quality of care, patient safety, and outcomes, with rankings also highlighting its excellence in numerous specialized fields.
Mayo Clinic is the No. 1 hospital in the world according to Newsweek.
The New Royal Adelaide Hospital (nRAH), opened in 2017, is widely considered Australia's most advanced hospital, featuring cutting-edge technology, integrated research (linked with SAHMRI), automated systems (like AGVs for logistics), sophisticated IT, and high sustainability, setting a benchmark for future healthcare facilities in the nation.
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), completed in 2017, was Australia's most expensive hospital and building project at the time, costing around A$2.3 billion, though it faced significant delays and cost blowouts from initial estimates. More recently, the upcoming Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) in Adelaide is projected to surpass this, aiming for a $3.2 billion price tag, potentially making it the world's costliest hospital per bed.
In Australia, private hospitals are owned and operated by private organisations. These include for-profit companies and not-for-profit organisations. The companies with the largest share of the private hospital market include: Ramsay Health Care.
Code black: bomb threat/suspicious object. Code blue: adult cardiac or respiratory arrest, loss of consciousness. Code brown: in-facility hazardous spill. Code green: evacuation.
Code Pink: Obstetric Emergency.
Status Z codes suggest that a patient is a current carrier of a disease or has the residual of a past disease. This includes (but is not limited to) things such as prosthetic devices, which are resulting from past treatment.
Top 5 Healthiest Cities in Australia in 2021
Rochester, Minnesota
Mayo Clinic in Rochester is the No. 1 hospital in the world and top-ranked in 13 specialties nationally.
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is by far the biggest hospital in Australia, with a whopping 1000 beds! Operated by the Queensland government, it offers comprehensive public health services, specialty care, research and tertiary teaching opportunities.
2024 Emergency Department Visit Totals
For world-class cardiology, the Mayo Clinic (Rochester), Cleveland Clinic, and Massachusetts General Hospital consistently rank at the top globally, with Johns Hopkins also a leading choice, according to publications like Newsweek. These US institutions are renowned for advanced cardiac care, while The Prince Charles Hospital (Australia) and Monash Health (Australia) are highly-rated options in Australia.
Total number of hospitals in select countries worldwide in 2023. In 2023, there were nearly 11 thousand hospitals in Columbia, the highest number among OECD countries, followed by 8,156 hospitals in Japan.