The U.S. Has Fewer Physicians and Hospital Beds Per Capita Than Italy and Different Nations Overwhelmed by COVID-19

A new collection of analysis and graphs shows the US has fewer hospital beds and practicing doctors per capita than many similarly sized and affluent countries with health systems already burdened by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Compared to Italy and Spain, two countries where hospitals have already been overwhelmed by an influx of COVID-19 patients, the US has fewer practicing doctors per capita – 2.6 per 1,000 people, compared to 4.0 in Italy and 3.9 in Spain – but more licensed nurses. While the US has more hospital workers overall than most comparable countries, Almost half of this workforce is made up of non-clinical staff who are not directly involved in the supply.

The USA also lags behind comparable countries in terms of hospital beds per capita 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 population, similar capacity to Canada and the UK but less than other similarly affluent countries. Italy, the country with the highest number of deaths related to COVID-19 to date, has 3.2 hospital beds per 1,000 people – just slightly more than the U.S. South Korea, which has reportedly slowed the rate of new infections, has 12 beds per 1,000 people . However, some data suggest that the US may have more intensive care beds per person than many comparable countries.

The analysis also includes graphs of coverage and affordability barriers that can limit access to care, as well as the health of risk groups. Compared to other large, affluent countries, the US has a higher burden of disease attributed to cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. All illnesses are linked to more severe outcomes for COVID-19 patients.

The chart collection and analysis is part of the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information center that monitors and evaluates the performance of the US healthcare system. More data, analysis, surveys and journalism on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on our website special resource page on kff.org.