Muscat: New statistics reveal significant growth in healthcare facilities, workforce capacity, and service delivery across GCC countries, reflecting a decade of focused development in the region’s health systems.

By the end of 2024, the total number of hospitals in the GCC reached approximately 882, marking an increase of 176 hospitals between 2014 and 2024. The expansion has been driven by both government initiatives and private sector investments.

Hospital bed capacity has also recorded notable growth. The total number of beds stood at 127,600, with government facilities accounting for 73 percent of the total. In 2022 alone, hospital beds reached 124,900, up from 111,200 in 2018, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 2.4 percent.

Primary healthcare services have expanded steadily as well. The number of government health centers and complexes reached nearly 3,400 facilities in 2023, underscoring efforts to strengthen primary and specialized care and ensure broader geographic coverage for growing populations.

The healthcare workforce continues to serve as the foundation of the GCC’s health systems. The total healthcare workforce reached 1.05 million professionals, growing at an annual rate of 6.8 percent.

Nursing staff form the largest segment, accounting for 39.3 percent of the workforce, with approximately 411,900 nurses across the region. Physicians numbered around 203,100 between 2019 and 2024, while pharmacists reached nearly 78,700.

More than half of healthcare professionals, 57.5 percent, are concentrated in government facilities. However, the private sector has recorded faster growth rates in doctors, nurses, and pharmacists compared to the government sector, exceeding global averages for health personnel indicators per 10,000 people.

Private hospitals now account for 42 percent of all hospitals in the GCC, expanding at a faster pace than government facilities. The average number of beds stands at 20.8 per 10,000 people, surpassing the global average, with private hospital beds growing more rapidly than their public counterparts.

Healthcare service indicators show clear increases in outpatient visits, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, and inpatient admissions, signaling both improved accessibility and rising demand for services.

Several GCC countries have recorded some of the highest annual growth rates in hospital capacity, reinforcing the region’s readiness to meet future population needs and healthcare challenges.

Alongside physical infrastructure expansion, the digital health sector is accelerating rapidly. The adoption of electronic health records, telehealth services, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, wearable technologies, and the Internet of Medical Things is reshaping healthcare delivery across the region.

These technologies are improving service efficiency, enhancing quality of care, and strengthening emergency response systems.

The digital health market in the GCC is projected to generate US$1.83 billion in revenues by 2025, while total health spending is expected to reach US$159 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.8 percent.

Health policies across GCC countries are closely aligned with long-term national development visions. Key priorities include ensuring financial sustainability of health systems, improving service quality and efficiency, strengthening public-private partnerships, developing local medical expertise, and accelerating digital transformation and health innovation.

International indicators also show the region’s progress in social development metrics, including human development, prosperity, and life expectancy at birth.