SPANISH PUBLIC HEALTH WAITING TIMES 2025.

Data in Spain is typically reported by autonomous community (region) rather than by province, 

Andalucía

Extremadura

Canary Islands

 consistently rank among the areas with the longest healthcare waiting times for 2025. 

Within these regions, specific provinces or areas are frequently highlighted for their delays:

Spanish public healthcare waiting times up by 13% on 2024

Worst Performing Areas (by Province and Region)

• Andalucía

   (Region): This region has some of the longest average surgical wait times, reaching 160–174 days.

  • Málaga

    : In June 2025, there were over 37,000 patients on the surgical waiting list. Wait times for operations can reach an average of 152–161 days, with specific centers like 

    Málaga city's Hospital Regional (formerly Carlos Haya) recording waits of 200 days for surgery.

  • 
    

  • Huelva

    Granada

    Jaén

    These provinces have recently been reported as having worse consultation wait times than 

    Málaga of 200 days plus

    .

• Extremadura

   (Region): Recent reports identify it as having the longest average waiting time for elective surgeries in the country at 181 days. It also has one of the highest rates of patients waiting over three months for a specialist.

• 
  

• Canary Islands

   (Region): Consistently ranks poorly for specialist appointments, with an average delay of 147–149 days.

• 
  

• Castilla-La Mancha

   (Region): Frequently cited alongside Andalucíafor long surgical waits exceeding 160 days.

• Catalonia (Region): While having many resources, it has the highest total number of patients waiting for surgery (over 165,000 as of recent counts) and an average wait of approximately 132–137 days. 

  
  

National Context for 2025

• GP Appointments: The average national wait to see a family doctor is approximately 9 days.

• Specialists: National averages for specialist appointments now exceed 4 months.

• Best Performers: 

  Madrid

  Basque Country

  Galicia

   consistently report the shortest wait times, often under 70 days for surgery. 

Factors and Impact

• Systemic Pressure: A shortage of family doctors and an aging population are cited as primary drivers of these delays.

• Emergency Overcrowding: Due to primary care saturation, over 50% of patients have reported visiting hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency ailments.

• Private Insurance: In response to these public delays, roughly 28% of residents now utilize private health insurance to bypass waiting lists for specialists and elective surgeries.