Brand Finance data shows 84% of listed healthcare businesses’ value is tied to intangibles, with Academic Medical Centres driving research and knowledge behind it
LONDON, 5 February 2026 – Hospitals and academic medical centres (AMCs) are increasingly central to the world’s intangible economy, as data from Brand Finance shows that the global total value of IP and intangibles held by listed healthcare businesses has reached USD10 trillion, representing 84% of total business value.
This value includes patents, proprietary formulas, and research and development pipelines, underpinned by research and clinical trials developed within leading hospitals and AMCs – reinforcing the importance of reputation in global healthcare.
Against this backdrop, healthcare professionals perceive Johns Hopkins Medicine and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to be the strongest and second strongest hospital brands globally for the second consecutive year, according to a new report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. Brand Finance research finds Johns Hopkins leads the ranking due to its exceptional brand funnel performance, combining awareness, familiarity, consideration, and recommendation, and strong perceptions across key patient-care metrics. It also achieves the highest across all 500 brands researched for ‘offering patients access to the latest clinical trials’, reinforcing its reputation among healthcare professionals in research excellence and innovation.
Data from Brand Finance’s GIFTTM study also highlights the United States’ considerable role in healthcare intangibles, accounting for over half of the total global value at USD5.5 trillion. However, this leadership may be put at risk by reductions in public research grant funding, including cuts to NIH (National Institutes of Health) and NSF (National Science Foundation) support.
Alfred DuPuy, Valuation Director, Brand Finance commented:
“U.S. AMCs continue to dominate the global ranking, with five institutions in the top 10 and 32 in the top 250. However, maintaining this position will depend on whether these institutions can sustain their reputation for innovation and research excellence amid shifting global funding and talent dynamics. Brand Finance research also indicates that global healthcare professionals’ consideration of working at U.S. hospitals in clinical or research roles has declined since November 2024, creating an opportunity for leading AMCs in other markets to attract international talent.”
Top-performing hospitals in other key markets include All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as the leading hospital in the South Asia region. Singapore General Hospital has regained its position in 2026 as the leading hospital in the APAC region. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (MENA) and Groote Schuur Hospital (South Africa) maintain their respective regional leader positions, while Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires in Argentina has climbed eight places to 28th globally to become the most reputable AMC brand in South America.
Brand Finance’s global study of 2,500+ healthcare professionals across 30 countries finds that hospitals’ overall reputations continue to be anchored in enduring fundamentals. Statistical analysis shows that the metrics most important in driving reputation are: ‘is internationally recognised and has the relevant accreditations’, ‘delivers best in class patient outcomes’, and ‘strongly associated with its specialisms’. While AI is receiving growing attention and investment, the attribute ‘uses and applies artificial intelligence’ ranks in the lower half of reputation drivers globally, and has declined in relative importance over the past year.
Hugo Hensley, Valuation Director, Brand Finance added:
“Brand Finance’s study of the world’s strongest hospital brands shows that reputational advantage in healthcare is earned through international recognition and accreditation, best in class patient outcomes, and specialist care. These are the foundations of trust, underpinned by the expertise and accountability of clinicians. While many leading hospitals also score strongly for their use of AI and advanced technologies, innovation is most powerful when it enhances, rather than defines, excellence in patient care. In a fiercely competitive global hospital sector, the strongest brands are those that balance world-class patient care, research, and training, building trust and driving consideration across the healthcare ecosystem.”
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
