According to Newsweek and Statista’s released World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 project, this year’s rankings spotlight performance across 12 fields, with oncology among the most closely watched categories.
The broader specialty trend is hard to ignore. According to the organizers’ market overview, the global specialty-hospital sector was valued at roughly $74.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach about $176.5 billion by 2032, reflecting patient demand for centers that concentrate expertise and technology in one place. Against that backdrop, the 2026 list aims to help patients, families, and referring clinicians identify hospitals with proven strengths in particular disciplines.
What the 2026 project covers
According to Newsweek/Statista, the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 features:
- The top 300 hospitals each for cardiology and oncology
- The top 250 for pediatrics
- The top 150 for cardiac surgery, endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics, and pulmonology
- The top 125 for neurosurgery, urology, and obstetrics & gynecology
The ranking scope expanded in some areas this year, with neurology and obstetrics & gynecology each enlarged by an additional 25 hospitals to accommodate growing global capability and interest.
How The Rankings Were Built
International online survey (85%) – From May to July 2025, physicians and hospital leaders around the world recommended institutions in their own specialty (and, optionally, a secondary field). Self-recommendations were not allowed. To stabilize reputational signal, responses from the two prior survey years were also included.
Accreditations and certifications (10%) – Both general and specialty-specific recognitions were factored in wherever available (e.g., pediatric specialty programs or brain injury programs for neurology).
PROMs Implementation Survey (5%) – Hospitals reported how they collect and use Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to improve care pathways and support real-time decisions. Only participating hospitals received a PROMs score.
According to Statista, hospitals active in more than one field could receive separate recommendation scores by specialty, which is why leading systems appear across multiple lists. The organizers note that well-known centers such as Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Sick Children, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic–Rochester, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center feature across various categories.
A global advisory board of clinicians and health-system leaders provided guidance on PROMs survey design and implementation standards, according to the project description.
The 2026 Best Oncology Hospitals
The top oncology hospitals in the 2026 rankings were:
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY)
- MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX)
- Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea)
- Asan Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea)
- Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
- Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France)
- The Royal Marsden Hospital (London, United Kingdom)
- Seoul National University Hospital (Seoul, South Korea)
- The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
According to the organizers, oncology and cardiology each include 300 ranked hospitals this cycle, reflecting the density of global expertise, research productivity, and high-volume clinical programs in these fields.
2024-2025 Best Hospitals by the U.S. News and World Report
Why it matters
For patients facing rare diagnoses or complex cancer journeys, choosing a specialized center can influence access to clinical trials, advanced imaging, high-precision surgery or radiotherapy, and comprehensive multidisciplinary care. According to Newsweek/Statista, the ranking is not intended to replace clinical advice, but rather to offer a global snapshot of reputation, quality signals, and patient-reported outcomes infrastructure—elements that collectively correlate with sophisticated, specialty-driven care.
At the same time, the methodology underscores the sector’s direction of travel. Greater emphasis on PROMs, accreditation, and multi-year expert polling suggests a move toward blended measures of performance—reputation tempered by structural quality indicators and by how consistently hospitals capture patient outcomes to steer decisions.
What’s Next
According to the organizers, the next survey cycle will again open on Newsweek.com and via email for preregistered experts. As more hospitals formalize PROMs programs and obtain specialty accreditations, the field of contenders is expected to broaden, raising the comparative bar for inclusion. In short, reputation will continue to be paired with structural quality signals and patient-reported outcomes, according to Newsweek/Statista.