The Changing Map of Global Health Tourism

Reading the market correctly

A person who travels abroad for care carries a need their own health system has not met: cost, waiting time or access to a particular specialty. A patient seeking rehabilitation at a thermal centre and a patient crossing a border for cancer care have different expectations, but both seek a solution away from home. The global map must therefore be read through people’s needs, the services they buy and how care continues after treatment.

Market size depends on the definition used. The Business Research Company estimates the medical tourism market at US$91.98 billion for 2025 and US$109.34 billion for 2026. Its broad scope includes domestic travel and some wellness services, so these figures should not be described as revenue from cross-border hospital treatment alone.

The Global Wellness Institute estimates thermal and mineral springs at US$71.7 billion in 2024, US$79.1 billion in 2025, US$87.9 billion in 2026 and US$106.2 billion in 2028. Its wellness tourism estimates are US$893.9 billion, US$978.7 billion, US$1,077.8 billion and US$1,280.6 billion, respectively. The 2025–2028 figures are projections. These categories have different scopes and must not be added together. The US$153.3 billion medical-tourism figure for 2028 is the author’s scenario, applying the report’s 18.4% annual growth assumption for two years to the 2026 estimate; it is not the report’s direct forecast.

Growth looks different by destination

South Korea recorded 1,170,467 foreign patients in 2024 and 2,011,822 in 2025, a 71.9% rise. Malaysia reported 1.59 million health visitors and RM2.72 billion in health-travel revenue for 2024, compared with preliminary 2025 figures of 1.84 million visitors (+15.7%) and RM3.34 billion (+22.8%). Malaysia’s 2025 figures were announced on 31 March 2026. These countries use different definitions, so the comparison shows change within each destination rather than a league table. Revenue growing faster than visitor numbers does not by itself prove that more complex treatment was provided; prices, procedure mix and per-patient spending also matter.

Patients move for different reasons

Health travel is not simply movement from wealthier countries to lower-cost ones. Patients may seek affordability, advanced expertise, access to a specific treatment or shorter waits. Dental care and oncology involve different choices: transport and total cost may weigh heavily in one case, while team experience, time to treatment and evidence may be decisive in another. Providers should state clearly which needs they can meet safely. Shared language, proximity, companion accommodation, repeat-trip costs and access to the care team after returning home all matter alongside the initial procedure price.

Regional links remain important. In South Korea’s 2025 records, China accounted for 618,973 patients and Japan for 600,009, together about 61% of the total. Malaysia identifies Indonesia as one of its leading source markets.

Thermal care, ageing and needs beyond hospitals

The GWI’s 2028 estimate for thermal and mineral springs rose from US$97.6 billion in its earlier report to US$106.2 billion in 2025’s report. This is industry revenue, not necessarily international treatment travel. The value of thermal health depends on service quality: medically assessed rehabilitation, trained staff, accessible spaces and measurable outcomes. Calling every thermal stay a treatment distorts patient expectations and sector data.

Holiday travel by an older person is different from travel for geriatric assessment or long-term care. WHO says that by 2030 one in six people worldwide will be aged 60 or older, reaching 1.4 billion; this is a planning signal, not a count of potential health-tourism customers. Mobility, post-operative rehabilitation, chronic-care support and independence require coordinated accommodation, nursing, medical, physiotherapy and social services.

The 2026 outlook carries travel risks

UN Tourism reported a 0.4% increase in international tourist arrivals worldwide in the first half of 2026 and lowered its full-year growth range to 1–2%. This is a general tourism indicator, not a health-tourism growth rate. Flight disruption, higher travel costs and changing security perceptions can also affect care journeys, especially when follow-up visits are needed. Providers need plans for continuing treatment if travel is interrupted. The US$109 billion medical-market estimate for 2026 remains a research projection and should later be compared using the same scope and method.

What capacity should be built for 2028?

The 2028 US$153 billion figure is a scenario, not a guarantee. Preparation should focus on three things: expertise in defined conditions and procedures, continuity between treatment, rehabilitation and care, and reliable records that connect applications, procedures and follow-up. Digital tools are useful when they deliver accurate information to the right team, reduce unnecessary repetition and support continuity; clinical judgement stays with health professionals.

Unsubstantiated claims of “rejuvenation” or “guaranteed recovery” require scrutiny. Cross-border care does not reduce the need for evidence and oversight. Investments must also account for local residents’ access and healthcare workers’ workload. International capacity should be planned alongside domestic health needs so export revenue contributes to the wider system.

The 2024–2025 figures show destinations growing at different speeds; 2026 reminds us that travel and economic conditions matter; and 2028 estimates offer a planning scale. A country’s place in the changing map will depend on which patient needs it can meet safely, with which team and with what results. The essential question is: Why should people come to us, and what health need can we reliably meet when they do?

Sources and data note

Data cutoff: 17 October 2026. Market figures are research estimates, not an official, consistently defined global health-tourism total. Scope and projection periods are retained. Sources: [1] The Business Research Company, Medical Tourism Market Report 2026 (September 2026). [2] Global Wellness Institute, Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025, Figure 1.11. [3] Medical Korea/KHIDI, international patient statistics, 2024–2025. [4] Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, 2025 performance announcement (21 April 2026), Bernama MREM. [5] Global Wellness Institute, Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2024. [6] WHO, “Ageing and health” (1 October 2025). [7] UN Tourism, World Tourism Barometer (September 2026).