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Hospitals and health services in Europe: what they buy and who supplies them

Buyers declaring "Health" as their main activity, across the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

In proportion

General government spending on goods, services and investment for health in the EU-27 came to €949 billion in 2024 (Eurostat, COFOG). How much of it reaches suppliers through tenders depends on how the country organises the sector — for example whether statutory health insurance is classified in government.

Source: Eurostat, government finance statistics (gov_10a_main, gov_10a_exp) and GDP (nama_10_gdp), retrieved 9 November 2026.

The market in numbers

Public supply contracts in Europe: award notices published on TED from 2023-11 to 2026-11, by publication year.

Contracts awarded
1.2M
in 111.7K award notices
Awarded value
€129B
from 61% of awards with a published value
Suppliers
25.6K
with at least one award
Public buyers
4.5K
in this sector
Contracts awarded by year
Contracts awarded by yearNov–Dec 2023: 4,9754,975Nov–Dec 20232024: 263,453263,45320242025: 372,032372,03220252026: 516,408516,4082026
Table view
Contracts awarded by year
Nov–Dec 20234,975
2024263,453
2025372,032
2026516,408
Awarded value by year (EUR)
Awarded value by year (EUR)Nov–Dec 2023: €614M€614MNov–Dec 20232024: €29B€29B20242025: €45B€45B20252026: €54B€54B2026
Table view
Awarded value by year (EUR)
Nov–Dec 2023€614M
2024€29B
2025€45B
2026€54B
What they buy: contracts by product category
  1. Pharmaceutical products644,178
    Pharmaceutical products: 644,178
  2. Medical equipments387,897
    Medical equipments: 387,897
  3. Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products23,434
    Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products: 23,434
  4. Miscellaneous food products21,093
    Miscellaneous food products: 21,093
  5. Food, beverages, tobacco and related products15,686
    Food, beverages, tobacco and related products: 15,686
  6. Personal care products9,392
    Personal care products: 9,392
  7. Animal products, meat and meat products7,586
    Animal products, meat and meat products: 7,586
  8. Instruments for checking physical characteristics6,902
    Instruments for checking physical characteristics: 6,902
  9. Other117,588
    Other: 117,588
Table view
What they buy: contracts by product category
Pharmaceutical products644,178
Medical equipments387,897
Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products23,434
Miscellaneous food products21,093
Food, beverages, tobacco and related products15,686
Personal care products9,392
Animal products, meat and meat products7,586
Instruments for checking physical characteristics6,902
Other117,588
Contracts by buyer country
  1. Romania565,416
    1,842 companies
    Romania: 565,416
  2. Poland264,362
    3,338 companies
    Poland: 264,362
  3. Croatia81,915
    485 companies
    Croatia: 81,915
  4. Spain32,732
    2,251 companies
    Spain: 32,732
  5. France27,606
    3,161 companies
    France: 27,606
  6. Czechia22,201
    1,411 companies
    Czechia: 22,201
  7. Germany20,754
    2,385 companies
    Germany: 20,754
  8. Italy18,420
    1,748 companies
    Italy: 18,420
  9. Bulgaria18,371
    611 companies
    Bulgaria: 18,371
  10. Lithuania15,908
    543 companies
    Lithuania: 15,908
Table view
Contracts by buyer country
Romania565,416
Poland264,362
Croatia81,915
Spain32,732
France27,606
Czechia22,201
Germany20,754
Italy18,420
Bulgaria18,371
Lithuania15,908
Who wins, by company size as declared in the notice
Who wins, by company size as declared in the notice: Large companies 38.7%, Medium-sized 18.4%, Small 10.3%, Micro 1.5%, SME (size not stated) 7.8%, Size not stated 23.3%Large companies: 448,117 (38.7%)39%Medium-sized: 212,559 (18.4%)18%Small: 118,601 (10.3%)10%Micro: 16,952 (1.5%)SME (size not stated): 90,518 (7.8%)Size not stated: 270,121 (23.3%)23%
  • Large companies
  • Medium-sized
  • Small
  • Micro
  • SME (size not stated)
  • Size not stated
Table view
Who wins, by company size as declared in the notice
Large companies448,117 · 38.7%
Medium-sized212,559 · 18.4%
Small118,601 · 10.3%
Micro16,952 · 1.5%
SME (size not stated)90,518 · 7.8%
Size not stated270,121 · 23.3%
Foreign winners: where they are registered
  1. Hungary2,021
    Hungary: 2,021
  2. Sweden1,539
    Sweden: 1,539
  3. Germany1,223
    Germany: 1,223
  4. Denmark645
    Denmark: 645
  5. Netherlands629
    Netherlands: 629
  6. Czechia553
    Czechia: 553
Table view
Foreign winners: where they are registered
Hungary2,021
Sweden1,539
Germany1,223
Denmark645
Netherlands629
Czechia553

Awards to companies registered in the buyer's own country

99.1%

Awards to companies registered in the buyer's own country: 99.1%

10,529 awards went to companies registered elsewhere.

Share of the 5 biggest winners

14.8%

Share of the 5 biggest winners: 14.8%

Of all awards; a high share means a concentrated market.

Lots with a single bid

34.9%

Lots with a single bid: 34.9%

Among 1.1M awards whose notice states the number of tenders.

How we count: one award per procedure, lot and winning company, from live contract award notices; a joint procurement counts on every buyer's market. Values are the awarded amounts published in the notice (framework ceilings and estimates are never added), converted to euro at the ECB yearly average. Company size is the SME flag of the notice (eForms BT-165). Read the methodology.

Questions

What do hospitals and health services in Europe buy through public tenders?
Mostly pharmaceutical products (644,178 awards), medical equipments (387,897 awards), medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (23,434 awards) — 1,156,868 supply contracts in total since November 2023.
How much is it worth?
The 708,643 awards with a published value add up to €129B; the rest are framework ceilings or undisclosed amounts, which we never add.

All sectors in Europe · Europe by product category

Source: contract award notices on TED — Tenders Electronic Daily (ted.europa.eu), © European Union, published since November 2023; processed by Cresques. Numbers updated 2026-11-13.