Average Psychiatric Hospital Length of Stay by Country & Population

Average Length of Stay (ALOS) – Recent Data

Country / System	Adult ALOS	Child/Adolescent ALOS	Data Source / Year
United States	~10–12 days (acute)	~7–10 days	SAMHSA, AHA, NIMH (2020–2022)
United Kingdom (NHS)	~28–35 days	~14–21 days	NHS Digital, RCPsych (2021–2023)
Canada (CIHI)	~20–25 days	~10–14 days	CIHI (2021–2022)
Australia	~14–18 days	~10–12 days	AIHW (2021–2022)
OECD Average	~18–20 days	~12–15 days	OECD Health Stats (2022)

Key Drivers of Variation

• Care model: US = acute stabilization → rapid discharge to outpatient/partial; UK/Canada = more inpatient therapy/rehab.
• Bed availability: Fewer beds → shorter stays (US).
• Diagnosis mix: Schizophrenia, bipolar, severe depression → longer; adjustment, brief psychosis → shorter.
• Legal status: Involuntary commitment often longer.
• Community resources: Robust outpatient → shorter inpatient.
• Funding/insurance: DRG/prospective payment (US) incentivizes efficiency.

Trends

• ALOS declining globally (deinstitutionalization, community care, new medications).
• “Revolving door” readmissions ↑ as ALOS ↓ – need robust step-down.
• Pediatric ALOS shorter but rising complexity (eating disorders, ASD+psych).

What ALOS Doesn’t Tell You

• Quality of care, therapeutic alliance, patient experience.
• Readmission rates (30-day: US ~15–20%).
• Functional outcomes at discharge.

Bottom Line

ALOS varies 2–3 fold across systems reflecting philosophy, resources, and incentives—not just illness severity. Context is essential for interpretation.