The hospital industry includes general medical and surgical hospitals that provide surgical and nonsurgical diagnostic and medical treatment to inpatients. Hospitals maintain inpatient beds and usually provide other services, including outpatient, operating room and pharmacy services.

The world has about 40,000 hospitals, primarily located in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Among countries tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Japan, South Korea, Russia, Germany, and Austria have the most hospital beds per 1,000 people.