Hip arthroplasty is one of the major achievements of orthopaedic surgery. In the Puglia region the demand for this procedure is moderately met. This study evaluates the regional distribution of hip arthroplasty procedures in Puglia in the years 1996-2003. Demand and supply was estimated through analysis of discharge abstract forms. Between 1996 and 203, 21,392 hip arthroplasty procedures were performed. of these, 12,491 (58,4%) were total hip arthroplasties, 7,742 (36,2%) were hip endoprostheses and 1,159 (5,4%) wee revisions. The median age of patients undergoing any of these procedures was 70 years and the proportion of females was almost double that of males (64%). The main indication was primary osteoarthrosis and 52,1% of all procedures were performed in the province of Bari. The average annual crude hospitalisation rate for hip arthroplasty procedures was 75,9 cases/100.000 inhabitants; this rate places the Puglia region in an intermediate position with respect to other Italian regions and is lower than that found in the literature. Discharge abstract forms are currently the sole source of data regarding hip arthroplasty procedures and this presents several limits. This factor, in addition to the complexity and high costs of these procedures and to the increasing average life expectancy of the general population all point to the need for a regional Hip arthroplasty Register, which would allow better planning for patients.