Medical Tourism Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Medical Tourism Market Trends and Insights

Escalating Treatment and Insurance Costs in High-Income Nations

U.S. per-capita health spending reached USD 12,555 in 2022, nearly twice Canada’s USD 6,207, a gap that has not narrowed because administrative overhead and pharmaceutical pricing in North America remain structurally higher. Rising deductibles and co-pays are prompting insured and self-pay patients to consider bundled packages overseas, where a bariatric procedure in Mexico costs USD 4,000–8,000, compared to USD 15,000–25,000 in the United States, resulting in a 60–70% savings after accounting for airfare. Dental crowns exhibit parallel trends, underscoring the high volume of dental tourists traveling to Mexico, Turkey, and Costa Rica. Because this pressure is systemic rather than cyclical, outbound patient volumes from high-income countries are unlikely to recede during the forecast period.

Expansion of Internationally Accredited Specialty Hospitals

The number of Joint Commission International (JCI)–accredited facilities in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions has doubled since 2020, indicating the widespread adoption of universal infection-control and patient-safety protocols^{[1]Joint Commission International, “Accredited Organizations Directory,” JCI, jci.org}. Hospitals that secure early accreditation—Bumrungrad International treats 600,000 patients from 190 countries annually—leverage that badge to command premium pricing and partner with global insurers. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Riyadh’s King Salman Medical City are following a similar approach, positioning Gulf Cooperation Council hubs to attract oncology and cardiac cases from Europe and Africa.

Reduced Waiting Lists for Elective Surgeries Abroad

Median wait times at the U.K. National Health Service reached 25 weeks for total knee replacement in 2024, prompting patients to self-fund surgeries in India or Thailand, where scheduling occurs within four weeks^{[2]NHS England, “Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times,” NHS, nhs.uk}. Thailand extended its medical visa to 90 days in 2024, while Singapore’s 2025 medical visa now processes in 48 hours, institutionalizing time-arbitrage as a competitive lever. Capacity expansions—India’s private sector will add 34,000 beds by fiscal 2029—ensure destination availability aligns with rising outbound demand.

Growing Adoption of Advanced Medical Technologies in Destination Countries

Robotic platforms now support 30% of surgeries in India’s private sector, and Thailand aims to equip 100 public hospitals with robots by 2026. Apollo Hospitals commissioned South Asia’s first proton-therapy center in 2024, matching modalities once exclusive to U.S. or EU academic centers. Technology parity eliminates a historic rationale for staying domestic, steering higher-acuity oncology and neurology cases toward the medical tourism market.

Post-Procedure Continuity of Care Challenges

A 2024 survey showed 62% of U.S. orthopedic surgeons decline follow-up for procedures done abroad, citing implant quality and liability concerns^{[3]American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “Post-Travel Patient Care Survey 2024,” AAOS, aaos.org}. Destination hospitals are mitigating this via 90-day virtual follow-ups bundled in their packages; Apollo and Fortis embed video consults and remote monitoring devices to bridge the gap. Yet insurance exclusions for complications remain common, deterring older or co-morbid patients and capping the upper end of the medical tourism market.

Cross-Border Medical Record Interoperability Gaps

The EU’s Electronic Health Data Space regulation, effective March 2025, mandates the exchange of pan-EU International Patient Summaries by 2029, thereby easing intra-European clinical travel. Outside the bloc, patients still courier CDs and paper summaries, risking transcription errors that delay care. Estonia’s blockchain-enabled e-health keys and Taiwan–Philippines pilots confirm the technical viability, but global coverage remains distant, sustaining an administrative drag on the medical tourism industry.

Segmentation

By Treatment Type: Oncology Dominates, Orthopedics Accelerates

Cancer treatment accounted for 18.54% of 2025 revenue, underscoring patient willingness to travel for proton therapy and precision radiotherapy, which remain scarce in many home markets. Orthopedic procedures exhibit the fastest expansion, with a 20.45% CAGR, because robotic joint replacement shortens recovery windows and aligns with active lifestyle priorities. The medical tourism market size for orthopedic care is projected to increase sharply as Thailand deploys 100 robotic platforms and Indian chains expand their capacity. Cardiovascular care remains steady as Narayana Health and Bumrungrad perform complex surgeries at 30–40% of U.S. price points while retaining JCI accreditation. Cosmetic and fertility treatments contribute volume, but escalating sustainability scrutiny and regulatory divergence shape moderate single-digit growth trajectories.

Leading destination hospitals now promote multidisciplinary sequencing—for instance, combining oncology surgery with postoperative immunotherapy—extending length of stay and per-patient revenue. Neurology procedures, such as deep brain stimulation, are emerging niches, supported by Apollo’s Gamma Knife suite and Bangkok Hospital’s specialized centers. By integrating post-operative tele-rehabilitation, chains improve outcomes and mitigate continuity-of-care constraints that once discouraged high-acuity travel. As technology parity becomes ubiquitous, the decision matrix tilts toward recovery experience, accreditation depth, and bundled pricing, reinforcing incumbent advantages in Asia-Pacific hubs.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Service Provider: Private Chains Control Capital Flow

Private hospitals held 54.32% of 2025 revenue and are advancing at a 21.32% CAGR, reflecting their agility in raising debt and equity to finance high-ticket modalities. Apollo’s plan to add up to 4,300 beds and Fortis’ 2,200-bed expansion underpin a widening capacity moat relative to public systems. The medical tourism market share controlled by private chains is supported by concierge desks, multilingual care teams, and AI-enabled patient-coordination apps that compress booking cycles. Public hospitals, although significant domestically, lag in luxury amenities and direct-booking interfaces. However, Thailand’s push for robotic surgery across 100 public facilities is narrowing this service gap.

Facilitator agencies that once commanded 10–15% commissions are being disintermediated as hospitals deploy direct-to-patient portals and governments publish accredited directories. In higher-acuity oncology and neurology segments, patients now book directly with flagship chains, valuing transparency over marginal savings. However, facilitators remain relevant in dental and cosmetic niches, where price sensitivity is higher, and brand loyalty is lower. Over the forecast horizon, capital-intensive private chains will consolidate mid-tier clinics, utilizing their scale purchasing power to compress input costs and enhance price competitiveness.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Type: Inbound Flows Outpace Domestic and Outbound

Inbound international travel represented 63.45% of market value in 2025 and is expanding at a 20.54% CAGR, sustained by destination-country policies that treat clinical care as an export. Thailand’s target of 3.1 million medical tourists in 2025, up from 2.6 million in 2024, exemplifies this export mindset. Singapore’s 48-hour visa and the UAE’s bundled Emirates-DHA packages further institutionalize inbound flows. Outbound travel from source markets grows, but at a slower clip as the U.K. and Canada add domestic elective capacity. Domestic medical tourism within federated nations like India is rising, but remains smaller because internal travel offsets some of the perceived cultural and continuity-of-care risks.

Destination governments are increasingly integrating visa, hotel, and insurance elements into single-window portals, reinforcing their dominance in the inbound flow. This structural tilt suggests inbound volumes will remain above 60% of the medical tourism market size through 2031, even as domestic systems in source countries accelerate incremental capacity additions.

Geography

Asia-Pacific accounted for 46.43% of 2025 revenue and is expected to grow at a 19.45% CAGR, cementing its leadership in the medical tourism market. Thailand’s THB 165 billion (USD 4.9 billion) revenue goal for 2025 aligns with visa extensions that allow 90-day recoveries. Singapore’s ambition to reach 1 million arrivals by year-end, alongside a SGD 3 billion (USD 2.2 billion) revenue target, reflects its pivot toward complex oncology and cardiology. India’s private chains, buoyed by 34,000 new beds, report international patient ARPOB surges that outpace domestic growth. Malaysia leverages Halal-certified clusters to attract Middle Eastern clientele, reinforcing the Asia-Pacific region’s multi-segment appeal.

The Middle East and Africa trail but are expected to accelerate: the UAE welcomed 679,000 medical tourists in 2023 and aims to reach 1 million by 2027 through oncology and orthopedic centers linked to Emirates’ bundled fare programs. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 pegs a 500,000-patient goal, anchored by the 5,000-bed King Salman Medical City. Europe’s intra-regional flows gain efficiency from the 2025 EHDS regulation, but cost advantages remain narrower than those in the Asia-Pacific region. North America remains a net exporter; however, select U.S. academic centers capture a significant portion of inbound Latin American demand for high-acuity cancer and cardiac care.

South America’s niche—cosmetic surgery in Brazil and Colombia—faces competition from lower-cost Mexico and efficacy-focused Asian clinics. Network effects in Asia-Pacific—capacity expansion funding, further marketing, and technology upgrades, which in turn attract more patients—create a self-reinforcing leadership loop unlikely to be disrupted before 2031.