On Monday 15 December 2025, Luxembourg’s National Health Observatory (L'Observatoire national de la santé - ObSanté) published a report on hospitalisations of children and adolescents aged zero to eighteen in Luxembourg between 2018 and 2022.

According to the observatory, this publication complements the 2023 report “Eng gesond Zukunft: a report on child health in Luxembourg” and provides insight into the hospital care needs of the paediatric population, as well as the use of hospital capacity.

The report shows that the first year of life accounts for the largest share of inpatient hospital activity. In 2022, infants in their first year represented 34.5% of inpatient stays (2,126 stays) and 42.8% of hospitalisation days (14,280 days). The report noted that hospital use peaked during the first seven days of life, when it was up to 27 times higher than among infants aged 29 days to under one year. More than 90% of hospital stays in this age group were inpatient.

The report also highlighted adolescence as another period of high hospital use. Adolescents aged thirteen to eighteen accounted for 27.4% of hospitalisations (3,082 stays) and 32.2% of hospitalisation days (10,743 days) in 2022.

In terms of care provision, the report underlined the central role of the Luxembourg Hospital Centre (CHL - KannerKlinik) in paediatric care. In line with the 2018 hospital law and the centralisation of specialised paediatric services, CHL accounted for nearly two thirds of inpatient stays (66.5%) and more than half of day hospitalisations (51.7%). This role was even more pronounced among younger children, with infants under one year accounting for 81.5% of inpatient stays. By contrast, the Robert Schuman Hospitals (HRS) played a more prominent role in adolescent care, accounting for 31.2% of stays and 64.9% of hospitalisation days for those aged fifteen to eighteen in 2022.

The report further identified marked seasonal variations in paediatric bed occupancy. Between 2018 and 2022, the average number of occupied paediatric beds at midnight ranged from 60 to 115.8. Newborns alone occupied around 30 beds per day on average, with no seasonal variation. In November 2022, national paediatric capacity was exceeded, with an overall bed occupancy rate of 93.4% for children aged zero to eighteen, and rates above 100% at both CHL and HRS for children aged zero to twelve. This peak mainly affected infants and young children and was linked to seasonal respiratory conditions.

Regarding reasons for hospitalisation, the report showed that respiratory, musculoskeletal and ear, nose and throat (ENT) conditions, as well as mental disorders, were the most common. Among children under one year, respiratory conditions dominated, accounting for 44.7% of inpatient stays, with more than six out of ten linked to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). For children aged zero to twelve, respiratory conditions remained the leading cause of inpatient stays (30.3%), while ENT and cranial conditions were the main reason for day hospitalisation, largely related to tonsil and adenoid surgery. However, the report noted that the proportion of outpatient procedures (70.7%) remains lower than in several other European countries. Among adolescents aged thirteen to eighteen, musculoskeletal conditions and mental disorders were the leading causes of inpatient hospitalisation, representing 22.2% and 16.7% of stays respectively, while digestive conditions were the main reason for day hospitalisation (16.8%).

The report identifies two main areas for action.

First, it highlights the need to reduce avoidable hospitalisations in order to free up capacity. This includes preventing avoidable respiratory conditions through vaccination, reducing severe asthma exacerbations through improved management of chronic illnesses, and promoting outpatient surgery, particularly for tonsil and adenoid procedures.

Second, the report points to the need to improve care capacity for children and adolescents. It calls for hospital capacity to be better aligned with identified needs and for the development of alternatives to inpatient hospitalisation for adolescents, particularly in the area of child and adolescent psychiatry. 

The full version of the report is available (in French) at: https://obs.gouvernement.lu/fr/publications/eng-gesond-zukunft-supplement.html.