From Public Dominance to Private Expansion: Changes in Hospital Infrastructure in Spain (1986–2018)

Mauricio Matus-Lopez and Margarita Vega-Rapún

No 49tuw_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: In many countries, the growth of the private hospital sector coincides with a decline in beds per inhabitant. Spain is no exception, showing one of the lowest relative bed provisions in the EU. This study offers an exploratory analysis of the evolution of private hospital bed provision in Spain and its Autonomous Communities between 1986 and 2018. Using historical hospital catalogs from the Ministry of Health, we conducted graphical and cluster analyses to examine trends and classify regions by the share of private hospital beds. Results indicate a national trend toward fewer beds and a growing presence of the private, mainly for-profit, sector, with notable regional differences such as the Catalan model. This research provides comparative and long-term evidence on structural changes in Spain’s hospital system.

Date: 2026-10-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur and nep-his
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:49tuw_v1

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/49tuw_v1

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