Korea Medical Tourism in 2025: The Official Numbers
Korea treated 2,011,822 foreign patients in 2025 and China overtook Japan as the largest source market. The official figures and what they show.
Korea is now one of the largest medical travel destinations in Asia, and unusually for this industry the scale is documented rather than estimated. The Ministry of Health and Welfare publishes annual counts of foreign patients treated at registered institutions. These are settled figures, not projections.
How many foreign patients did Korea treat in 2025?
Korea treated 2,011,822 foreign patients in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. That is a 71.9% increase over the 1.17 million treated in 2024, and the first year the figure has passed two million.
Which countries do most foreign patients come from?
China, which overtook Japan as the largest source market in 2025 with 619,000 patients — growth of 137.5% in a single year. Taiwan followed with 186,000, up 122.5%, moving ahead of the United States at 173,000.
| Market | Patients (2025) | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| China | 619,000 | +137.5% |
| Taiwan | 186,000 | +122.5% |
| United States | 173,000 | — |
The Taiwan figure is worth pausing on. It grew faster than almost any other market and now exceeds the United States, yet most Korean clinics publish Chinese-language material in Simplified characters only — which Taiwanese readers can follow but do not read natively.
What treatments are foreign patients coming for?
Overwhelmingly dermatology, which accounted for 62.9% of foreign patients in 2025 — about 1,313,000 people, up 86.2% year on year. Plastic surgery followed at 11.2% and integrated internal medicine at 9.2%. Dentistry grew fastest of all, at 128.9%.
Dermatology and plastic surgery together make up 74.1% of foreign patient treatment. That concentration matters when choosing where to go: the institutions with the deepest experience of international patients are specialised aesthetic clinics, not the large university hospitals whose names travel furthest abroad.
What is medical tourism worth to Korea?
Foreign patients and their companions spent ₩12.5 trillion in Korea during 2025, according to analysis by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade. The same analysis puts total production effects at ₩22.8 trillion and added value at ₩10.5 trillion.
What this means if you are considering treatment in Korea
- Verify registration. Only institutions registered under Korea’s foreign patient attraction system (외국인환자 유치 등록 의료기관) may legally treat and market to overseas patients. The registration number is public — ask for it before paying a deposit.
- Expect a clinic, not a hospital. Nearly three quarters of foreign patient treatment is dermatology and plastic surgery, delivered by specialised clinics.
- Confirm language support in writing. Ask which languages are covered by staff versus interpretation services, and during which hours — the answer differs more than clinics advertise.
- Budget beyond the procedure. The ₩12.5 trillion figure covers accommodation, transport and follow-up visits as well as treatment.
Frequently asked questions
- How many foreign patients did Korea treat in 2025?
- 2,011,822, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare — a 71.9% increase over the 1.17 million treated in 2024.
- Which country sends the most medical tourists to Korea?
- China, with 619,000 patients in 2025. It overtook Japan that year, growing 137.5%.
- What is the most common treatment foreign patients seek in Korea?
- Dermatology, at 62.9% of all foreign patients in 2025 — roughly 1,313,000 people. Plastic surgery accounts for a further 11.2%.
- How much do foreign patients spend in Korea?
- ₩12.5 trillion in 2025, including patients and their companions, according to the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.
- How do I check whether a Korean clinic can legally treat foreign patients?
- Ask for its foreign patient attraction registration number (외국인환자 유치 등록 의료기관). Registration is mandatory for institutions treating and marketing to overseas patients, and the number is public.
Sources
- 2025년 외국인 환자 유치 200만 돌파 · 아시아 의료관광 「중심국가」 도약 — 보건복지부 (Ministry of Health and Welfare) (retrieved 2026-08-23)
- 의료관광 200만 시대 열렸다 — 중국, 1년 만에 일본 제치고 1위 — 더메디컬 (The Medical), reporting Ministry of Health and Welfare data (retrieved 2026-08-23)