How rankings work

Rankings are calculated from public data only. Here is every metric we use, how much it weighs, and when scores are recalculated.

Ranking score = percentile within group × 80 + facility size bonus

Principles

Public data only: We use only facility data published by HIRA, the National Medical Center and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (animal hospitals). Reviews, star ratings and advertising spend are never part of the score.
Not quality of care: Rankings compare verifiable metrics such as specialists, staff size, years in operation and opening hours. They do not evaluate treatment outcomes or quality of care.
Independent of sponsors: Sponsored facilities are shown separately, outside the ranked list, and never affect scores or order.

Step 1 · Raw score (out of 100)

Each facility gets a raw score from public-data metrics. Medical facilities, pharmacies and animal hospitals publish different data, so they use different metrics.

Hospitals, clinics, dental, Korean medicine, public health

Metric	Points	Calculation
Specialists	25	Number of specialists, on a log scale (more is better, with diminishing returns). Full points at 50
Specialist ratio	15	Share of doctors who are specialists
Doctors	15	Total number of doctors, log scale. Full points at 300
Years open	25	Years since opening. Full points at 20 years
Listing completeness	20	Phone 7 + website 8 + map coordinates 5

Pharmacies

Metric	Points	Calculation
Weekly hours	40	Total opening hours Sunday–Saturday. Full points at 84 h/week (12 h × 7 days)
Late-night	15	Full points if open past 10 p.m. on weekdays
Sundays/holidays	15	Full points if open on Sundays or public holidays
Days open	10	Days open per week. Full points at 7
Listing completeness	20	Phone 10 + map coordinates 5 + listed hours 5

Animal hospitals

Metric	Points	Calculation
Years open	45	Years since opening. Full points at 20 years
Floor area	35	Licensed floor area, log scale. Full points at 1,000 m²
Listing completeness	20	Phone 12 + map coordinates 8

Step 2 · Percentile within the same group

The raw score is converted to a percentile (0–1) within the facility's group, then multiplied by 80. This lets pharmacies and clinics, which use different metrics, be compared fairly in one list. Equal raw scores get equal percentiles.

hospitals: Tertiary General Hospital, General Hospital, Hospital, Long-term Care Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital
clinics: Clinic, Midwifery Clinic
dental: Dental Hospital, Dental Clinic
public health: Public Health Center, Public Health Sub-center, Community Health Post, Public Health Medical Center
pharmacies: Pharmacy
Korean medicine: Korean Medicine Hospital, Korean Medicine Clinic
animal hospitals: Animal Hospital

Step 3 · Facility size bonus

Hospital-level facilities have capabilities the raw score cannot capture, such as inpatient beds and emergency care, so they receive a bonus. Types not listed get 0.

+20: Tertiary General Hospital
+15: General Hospital
+8: Hospital, Long-term Care Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Dental Hospital, Korean Medicine Hospital

Bonuses added when browsing

Specialty lists: facilities whose name includes the specialty (e.g. "… Dermatology Clinic") likely focus on it: +25
Search: +45 if the name starts with the query, +40 if it contains it (address-only matches get 0)

Size adjustment · Compare by size

Putting university hospitals and neighborhood clinics in one list lets the size bonus push large hospitals to the top. Specialty rankings therefore compare local clinics with each other by default, with hospitals, general hospitals and all facilities on separate tabs. Hospital-centered specialties (emergency medicine) default to all.

Local clinics: Clinic, Dental Clinic, Korean Medicine Clinic
Hospitals: Hospital, Long-term Care Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Dental Hospital, Korean Medicine Hospital
General hospitals: Tertiary General Hospital, General Hospital

"Why this rank?"

Open "Why this rank?" on any ranked facility card or facility page to see these steps calculated for that facility.

Rankings by specialty

Update schedule

HIRA data is refreshed every quarter and scores are recalculated. Scores are also recalculated when details such as opening hours are added. Current rankings use Q4 2026 data, calculated on 2026-10-08.

Limitations

Only values registered in public data are reflected; late or missing filings are not.
Doctor and specialist counts show scale, not the skill of individual practitioners.
Opening hours are as registered by the facility and do not reflect temporary closures or holidays.