World's Best Hospitals 2026: Roman the first Italian hospital on the list

The World's Best Hospitals 2026 ranking, published on February 25, 2026 by Newsweek in collaboration with Statista, offers a detailed look at the world's most reliable and high-performing healthcare institutions. The goal of the ranking is to guide patients, families, and health professionals in choosing the best facilities for diagnosis and highly specialized care.

For 2026, the analysis considered over 2.500 hospitals in 32 countries, with a methodological approach based on 4 main pillars:

• recommendations from medical experts and health care managers;
• hospital quality metrics;
• patient experience data;
• results reported by patients themselves (PROMs).

Italian excellences in the 2026 rankings

Italy confirms the presence of important healthcare facilities in the national ranking of the World's Best Hospitals. According to the official ranking data:

1. Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (33)
2. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda (43)
3. Istituto Clinico Humanitas (51)
4. San Raffaele Hospital - San Donato Group (57)
5. Policlinico Sant'Orsola Malpighi (76)
6. Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital (104)
7. Azienda University of Padua Hospital (127)
8. Policlinico San Matteo Hospital (134)
9. Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona - Borgo Trento Hospital (142)
10. Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi (192)
11. AOU Policlinico di Modena (198)
12. Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Sant'Andrea (203)
13. Presidio Ospedaliero Molinette - A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza (221)

These facilities stand out for quality of care, clinical expertise and strong results in Italian patient satisfaction data.

The Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli in Rome is confirmed as the first Italian facility on the list and 33rd in the global ranking.

Rome, Milan, Bologna, Bergamo and Padua are confirmed as health care hubs of excellence, with hospitals that compete internationally in clinical standards and innovation.

Why this ranking is important for patients

The World's Best Hospitals ranking is not just a list: it is a essential decision-making tool for those evaluating specialized treatments or complex care, especially when the choice falls to international facilities or medical relocation. By analyzing clinical data, professional recommendations and patient feedback, the ranking allows:

• Comparison of global health centers
• Evaluation of quality and safety of care
• More informed choice for treatments of excellence

Conclusions

Well-ranked Italian hospitals are a powerful driver for health tourism and international care. Facilities such as the Policlinico Gemelli, Humanitas and San Raffaele not only attract patients from abroad but also help to consolidate the reputation of Italian healthcare, promote highly specialized services and stimulate international collaborations between medical-scientific networks.

In a global context where patients travel for specialized care, these rankings become a key factor of visibility and attractiveness for our healthcare system.