An annual hospital ranking by Newsweek magazine has deemed Toronto General the second-best in the world.
The University Health Network (UHN) hospital has moved up a spot since last year, placing just behind Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic on the U.S. magazine’s 2026 World’s Best Hospitals list Wednesday.
Newsweek, in partnership with Statista, ranked 250 hospitals by surveying medical experts, compiling patient experience data and quality metrics for more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries, with the aim of informing patients.
Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, which held second place for the past seven years, has been bumped down to third.
UHN President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Smith says moving up in the rankings as a universally accessible institution is a reason to celebrate, and in part credits a recent push to poach Canadian talent from institutions abroad.
Toronto General Hospital has cracked the Top 10 annually since the series began in 2019, most recently holding third place for two consecutive years. It’s known for cardiac care, organ transplants and complex patient needs.
“When you look down that list there are very few places in the world where you can say I can walk into a best-in-the-world hospital and it doesn’t matter if I’m one of the wealthiest people in that society or one of least advantaged people in the society, I will get the same care,” he said.
Smith said a withdrawal of investment in health research south of the border led to an opportunity to hire world-leading scientists who are pursuing research on viruses, vaccines and health equity, along with cancer and heart disease.
Smith said about a quarter of the 43 people recruited so far are Canadians abroad returning from the United States, in addition to candidates from Japan, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The goal is to hire 50 in total, and have had more than 700 candidates express interest.
“I do think this is a bit of a Canadian moment. We’ve been advantaged by that,” Smith said.
But he acknowledged there are hurdles that come with operating a publicly funded hospital compared to private models in the United States, chiefly the time it can take to receive federal approvals and provincial funding.
“What allows us to skate ahead is research. When we’re doing those clinical trials, when we are bringing those new therapies here and we do research on them and test them, that means Canadians are in fact still getting them first, like a first payer environment,” Smith said.
UHN operates 10 sites, which also include Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
Mount Sinai Hospital moved up several places to 27 and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre fell from 24 to 30.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.
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