Industry data · 2026
Medical tourism statistics,
the 2026 reference.
Global and China-specific medical tourism data for 2026: market size, patient flows, top destinations, procedure volumes, average savings and demographics. Sourced from MTA, IMTJ, IDF, NHC, NMPA and CIHI.
$108B
Global market 2024
Estimated 2024 size; CAGR ~12% projected through 2028
Patients Beyond Borders 2024
14–22M
Annual patients
Crossing borders for medical care globally
Medical Tourism Association
Thailand 3.5M
Top destination by volume
Followed by Mexico (3M), Turkey (1.5M), India (700k+)
MTA / IMTJ 2024
China ~700k
Inbound 2024
Strong growth from SE Asia, Russia, GCC, growing from Europe / NA
NHC estimate
60–80%
Avg savings
China vs US for major procedures (CABG, hip, dental, oncology)
Industry data
Dental 30%
Of all medical tourism
Largest single category by patient volume globally
IMTJ 2024
Class A
China hospital tier
三级甲等 — top tier (≥900/1000 NHC scoring)
NHC
JCI
Multiple in mainland
United Family network; major CN expat-focused hospitals
JCI
ICH-GCP
Aligned since 2017
China joined ICH; clinical trials run to international standards
ICH / NMPA
30,000+
Active CN trials
Across NMPA platform and ChiCTR
Registry data 2024
30–60%
NMPA drug pricing
Listed below US prices for biologics and targeted therapy
NMPA listings
9.55B
Outpatient visits / yr
China's annual hospital outpatient visit volume
NHC 2023
Tiers & pricing
Six tiers, transparent pricing.
Top 10 destinations by volume
Thailand 3.5M · Mexico 3M · Turkey 1.5M · India 700k · Singapore 500k · South Korea 500k · Costa Rica 400k · Malaysia 1.3M · Brazil 300k · Hungary 300k.
MTA 2024
Top procedure categories
Dental 30% · cosmetic 25% · cardiac 10% · orthopedic 10% · IVF 8% · oncology 6% · other 11%.
IMTJ 2024
Average length of stay
Outpatient (LASIK, dental, hair) 3–7d · MIS (lap, hernia) 5–10d · open surgery 14–28d · cancer multi-modality 30–60d.
Multi-source
Savings vs US
Cardiac 60–75% · ortho 60–70% · dental 70–80% · IVF 60–75% · LASIK 65% · cancer drugs 30–60%.
vs Healthcare Bluebook
Patient demographics
Asian intra-regional 40% · North America 25% · Europe 20% · GCC / Middle East 10% · Africa / LATAM 5%.
MTA 2024
Mode of payment
Self-pay 65% · insurance abroad 22% · employer / corporate medical tourism 8% · other 5%.
MTA 2024
Top hospitals
Six centres
open to international patients.
Inbound: ~700k / yr
From SE Asia, Russia, GCC, Mongolia · growing from Europe and North America
Outbound: ~600k / yr
Chinese citizens travelling abroad — to Japan, Singapore, Thailand, US for select treatments
Inbound: ~3.5M / yr
Top global destination · cosmetic + dental + general surgery + IVF + sex reassignment
Inbound: ~3M / yr
Cross-border from US · dental + bariatric + cosmetic · border-clinic concentration
Inbound: ~700k / yr
Cardiac + ortho + oncology + IVF · GCC and African primary patient base
Inbound: ~1.5M / yr
Hair transplant + cosmetic + dental · European primary patient base
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
- How big is the global medical tourism market?
- The Medical Tourism Association estimates the global medical tourism market at $80–$110 billion in 2024, with 14–22 million patients crossing borders annually for medical care. Patients Beyond Borders cites $108B for 2024. CAGR projections vary 10–18% through 2028 depending on methodology. Definitions matter: some sources include pure 'wellness tourism' (spas, wellness retreats); when narrowed to clinical procedures only, the market is roughly half the cited size.
- How does China rank among medical tourism destinations?
- By inbound volume, mainland China is mid-pack — ~700,000 inbound patients per year vs Thailand's 3.5M, Turkey's 1.5M and Mexico's 3M. By complexity-weighted volume (cardiac, oncology, cell therapy, complex orthopedic), China ranks higher. Patient flows are dominated by intra-Asian (Russia, Mongolia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, GCC) with growing minorities from Europe, North America and Africa. Hong Kong is a major secondary hub for international patients.
- What procedures are most common in medical tourism?
- By patient volume globally: dental ~30% (driven by border-clinic clusters in Mexico, Turkey, Thailand, Hungary, Costa Rica); cosmetic surgery ~25% (South Korea, Turkey, Thailand, Brazil); cardiac and orthopedic surgery ~20% combined (India, Turkey, China, Singapore); IVF and reproductive ~8%; oncology ~6%; other ~11%. By revenue, cardiac and oncology dominate despite lower volume.
- What are the typical savings for international patients?
- Highly procedure-specific. Largest absolute savings: complex cardiac and oncology — a CABG that costs $80,000–150,000 in the US runs $18,000–28,000 in China. Largest percentage savings: dental (70–80%) and LASIK (65%). Smallest savings: outpatient consultations (often more expensive abroad once travel is included). Savings figures must include round-trip airfare, accommodation and an honest budget for complications when comparing.
- How does China's regulatory framework compare?
- China's National Health Commission (NHC) operates the Class A 三级甲等 hospital classification; National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) regulates drugs and devices; clinical trial regulation aligns with ICH-GCP since 2017. Top international hospitals additionally hold JCI accreditation. Drug approval lag relative to FDA / EMA has narrowed substantially — many novel oncology and immunology drugs are NMPA-approved within 6–18 months of FDA approval, and several first-in-human cell therapy trials are concentrated in China.
- Where are these statistics sourced from?
- Primary sources: Medical Tourism Association (MTA) annual surveys; International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ); Patients Beyond Borders annual reports; International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Atlas for diabetes prevalence; National Health Commission (NHC) China; National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) China; Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) for Canadian wait-time data; CMS HCUP and Healthcare Bluebook for US pricing; NHS England reference cost and Bupa UK for UK pricing. We update this page at least twice a year and welcome corrections to data@pandatouring.com.
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Read the guideWant a specific data point
for your research or coverage?
We provide journalists, researchers, employer-benefits teams and investors with referenceable medical tourism data on request. Email data@pandatouring.com.
Statistics on this page are aggregated from cited public sources and our coordination volume; figures are estimates and methodology varies across sources. Use as directional only. License: data on this page may be cited with attribution to Panda Touring Care.