Revealed: The 29 Top-Rated Hospitals in Belgium

Selecting the right hospital is a critical decision for personal or family care. Here are the top-rated hospitals in Belgium as listed by Newsweek and Statista.

An annual ranking of hospitals

Since 2019, Newsweek and Statista have released their annual ranking of the world’s top hospitals. The 2024 list evaluates 2,400 hospitals across 30 countries in the US, Western Europe, Scandinavia, ten Asian countries, Australia, and other parts of the Americas. Scores are determined by a survey of over 85,000 healthcare professionals, patient satisfaction surveys, and metrics like hygiene, patient-to-doctor ratios, and the use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), which track patient experiences and outcomes.

In the global list of the world’s top 100 hospitals, there is only one Belgian hospital. UZ Leuven comes in in at position 44, although UZ Gent was only just outside, at position 107. More interesting for the purposes of Discovering Belgium is the list of top hospitals in Belgium. But before you scan it, you may be interested to know the answer to this question:

What’s the difference between a UZ and an AZ hospital?

A UZ (Universitair Ziekenhuis) is a University Hospital. It is connected to a university, serving as a teaching and research hospital. It provides specialized and highly advanced medical care; trains medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and specialists; and conducts medical research and clinical trials. It often handles complex and rare cases requiring multidisciplinary expertise. In French it’s a cliniques universitaires.

An AZ (Algemeen Ziekenhuis) is a General Hospital. An AZ is not directly linked to a university, and focuses on general medical care. It provides a broad range of healthcare services, such as surgery, maternity care, and emergency services. It handles routine medical needs and more common health issues, and refers complex cases to UZ hospitals if necessary.

The list of top-rated hospitals in Belgium

The list provides the name of the hospital; the score in the Newsweek/Statista ranking; and the city or collection of towns that the hospital serves.

• 1          UZ Leuven – 93.17% – Leuven              
• 2          UZ Gent – 84.55% – Ghent                   
• 3          Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc – 82.81% – Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe (Brussels)
• 4          ULB – Hôpital Erasme – 79.87% – Anderlecht/Laken (Brussels)
• 5          UZA – Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen – 78.58% – Edegem (Antwerp)
• 6          UZ Brussel – 78.35% – Jette (Brussels)                      
• 7          AZ Groeninge – 77.89% – Kortrijk                    
• 8          AZ Maria Middelares – 77.15% – Ghent                       
• 9          AZ Sint-Jan – 76.80% – Bruges/Ostend            
• 10        AZ Delta – 75.50% – Roeselare/Menen/Torhout           
• 11        CHU UCL Namur – 75.30% – Dinant/Namur/Yvoir                    
• 12        Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg – 74.00% – Genk/Lanaken/Maaseik              
• 13        Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Ziekenhuis – 73.92% – Aalst/Asse/Ninove              
• 14        CHU Saint-Pierre – 73.91% – Brussels               
• 15        Jessa Ziekenhuis – 73.86% – Hasselt/Herk-De-Stad                  
• 16        Jan Yperman Ziekenhuis – 73.71% – Ypres/Wervik/Poperinge                
• 17        Sint-Andriesziekenhuis – 73.34% – Tielt            
• 18        GZA- Ziekenhuizen – 72.97% – Antwerp/Mortsel/Wilrijk                       
• 19        AZ Diest – 72.84% – Diest                    
• 20        AZ Sint-Blasius – 72.80% – Dendermonde/Zele            
• 21        AZ Klina – 72.72% – Brasschaat            
• 22        AZ Sint-Maarten – 72.68% – Mechelen                   
• 23        AZ Turnhout – 72.62% – Turnhout                   
• 24        AZ Sint-Lucas – 72.37% – Bruges                     
• 25        Imelda Ziekenhuis – 72.10% – Bonheiden                    
• 26        AZ Oostende – 72.05% – Ostend                     
• 27        AZ Monica – 72.04% – Antwerp                       
• 28        Sint-Trudo Ziekenhuis – 72.01% – Sint-Truiden             
• 29        Centre Hospitalier Interrégional Edith Cavell – CHIREC – 72.00% – Brussels/Braine l’Alleud
• Special: Institut Jules Bordet – Oncology – Brussels

A few observations

Firstly it is important to stress that there are no “bad” hospitals in this list. Belgium is renowned for providing an extremely high level of healthcare, and all its hospitals are mandated to reach this high level of patient care. This can be seen from the scores. Apart from the top six, which are all large university hospitals, there is not a lot of difference in the scores in the other 24 hospitals.

However, interestingly, and especially considering my recent article on the differences between Flanders and Wallonia, only two of Belgium’s top hospitals are in Wallonia. In my article I didn’t mention healthcare as such, but pointed to differences in economy between the two regions, which can of course filter down to healthcare. While I am sure that the quality of healthcare in hospitals in Wallonia matches those in Flanders, there may well be a difference in financial resources available for equipment, infrastructure, modernization etc.

Having said that, regional differences do exist. Data indicates that Flanders often outperforms Wallonia and Brussels in certain health outcomes. For instance, the 30-day case-fatality rate after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was lower in Flanders (5.1%) compared to Wallonia (6.7%) and Brussels (6.6%) in 2021.  Similarly, for ischemic stroke, Flanders had a 30-day case-fatality rate of 8.1%, while Wallonia and Brussels reported rates of 9.3% and 9.4%, respectively.

Belgium’s hospitals within the EU

In a wider context, Belgium consistently ranks among the top EU countries in healthcare quality, with high patient satisfaction and favorable health outcomes. As the figure below illustrates, Belgium has a high number of hospital beds available per 100,000 inhabitants, which allowed hospitals to cope (just!) with the high influx of patients during the COVID pandemic.

In a 2024 survey, individuals were asked to what extent they trust the healthcare system in their country to provide them with the best treatment. The results are shown below:

Of the countries evaluated, citizens from Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium had the most trust in their health system, with 61 percent of individuals trusting it to give them the best treatment. (At the other end of the scale, only nine percent of respondents in Hungary believed that they were provided with the best healthcare treatment).

Summing up

While Belgium’s healthcare system maintains a high standard nationwide, regional disparities do exist, particularly between Flanders and Wallonia, in specific health outcomes and hospital performance indicators. I regularly hear on the national news that quality improvement initiatives and regulatory oversight are constantly ongoing to address these differences and enhance care across all regions.

Personal experience

Personally I can vouch for the high-quality care provided by the hospital at number one in the list: UZ Leuven. Three of our four children were born in UZ Leuven and we were always very pleased with the care and the facilities. In the year 2000, I collapsed at home and was rushed unconscious to UZ Leuven in an ambulance. Scans showed I had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in my brain that had to be surgically removed. Thankfully, despite it being high-risk, the resulting operation was a total success. So I have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to UZ Leuven and its staff.

My inspiration for this article

I discovered a news item about Belgium’s top hospitals in the Waals Weekblad newsletter. It’s an interesting and useful weekly summary of news in Wallonia in the Dutch language. To subscribe (20 EUR per year), send an email to redactie@waalsweekblad.be.

Denzil Walton

I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.