Insee Première · January 2026 · n° 2089

In 2022, nine out of ten private clinics were part of an enterprise group

In 2022, private-sector hospitals had 315,000 employees, mainly within enterprise groups, 73% of which had hospital activity as their main activity. In the private for‑profit sector, enterprise groups accounted for 90% of the clinics whereas independent structures were more common in the private non‑profit sector. The majority of hospital‑owning groups were small‑sized, notably in the private for‑profit sector where 54% of groups had fewer than 250 employees.

These private groups were locally based and developed complementary activities which accounted for half of their employees, in particular in the medico‑social sector, social work activities without accommodation, medical analysis laboratories or training for healthcare professions. They also often owned local units dedicated to support activities used by hospital local units, including real estate, administrative, and business support services, especially in the private for-profit sector.

The 177 enterprise groups that included at least one private clinic provided 59% of outpatient surgery places in France – half of which were provided by 9 large groups.