1.17 Million Foreign Patients Visited Korean Hospitals Last Year... 'Record High'

Many Dermatology Visits by Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese Patients
Cumulative Total Reaches 5.05 Million Since 2009

Last year, the number of foreign patients visiting South Korea surpassed 1 million for the first time, marking a record high. This achievement is seen as South Korea emerging as a central country in Asia’s medical tourism sector.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 2nd, the total number of foreign patients who visited South Korea last year reached 1.17 million, a 93.2% increase compared to 606,000 in 2023.

The attraction of foreign patients to South Korea steadily increased at an average annual rate of 23.5% between 2009 and 2019, but sharply declined to 120,000 in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. After a three-year recovery phase, the number rose to 610,000 in 2023 and 1.17 million in 2024. This is the highest record since the medical tourism initiative officially began in 2009, bringing the cumulative total of foreign patients visiting South Korea over the past 16 years to 5.05 million.

Last year, foreign patients from a total of 202 countries visited South Korea. By country, Japanese patients were the largest group with 441,000 (a 135.0% increase from the previous year), accounting for 37.7% of all foreign patients, followed by China with 261,000 (22.3%), the United States with 102,000 (8.7%), and Taiwan with 83,000 (7.1%).

In particular, the number of patients from Taiwan (550.6% increase), Japan (135.0%), and China (132.4%) grew significantly, with many visiting dermatology clinics. In 2024, the number of Taiwanese patients visiting dermatology clinics in South Korea surged by 1017.0% to 67,000, Chinese patients reached 172,000 (278.8%), and Japanese patients totaled 308,000 (155.2%).

Additionally, Japanese patients still showed a high proportion visiting dermatology (69.7%) and plastic surgery (14.0%), but visits to Korean medicine integrative and internal medicine integrative clinics also increased.

Meanwhile, the United States saw a 32.2% increase to 102,000 patients, and Canada had a 58.3% increase to 15,000 patients, both marking the highest number of visitors since 2009. Thailand and Singapore also recorded their highest ever numbers with 38,000 and 27,000 patients respectively visiting South Korea, while patients from Russia and Kazakhstan numbered 17,000 and 14,000 respectively.

The medical department most visited by foreign patients was dermatology, with a total of 705,000 patients, accounting for 56.6% of all treatments. This was followed by plastic surgery at 11.4%, internal medicine integrative at 10.0%, and health screening centers at 4.5%.

By type of medical institution, clinics accounted for the largest share at 82.0%, followed by general hospitals at 6.0%, and tertiary hospitals at 5.1%. The number of patients using clinics increased the most by 138.4% compared to the previous year, followed by Korean medicine clinics (113.2%) and dental hospitals (24.7%). Conversely, foreign patients visiting general hospitals and tertiary hospitals decreased by 14.4% and 7.6%, respectively.

Regionally, Seoul attracted 1 million foreign patients, accounting for 85.4% of the total, followed by Gyeonggi Province (4.4%), Busan (2.6%), Jeju (1.9%), and Incheon (1.8%). This is attributed to the fact that Seoul had 1,994 registered medical institutions for foreign patient attraction in 2024 (63.2%), the highest proportion, and reflects the rapidly increasing demand for dermatology treatments. Among non-capital regions, Jeju (221.0%), Busan (133.6%), and Chungbuk (116.1%) showed high growth rates.

Jung Eun-young, Director of the Health Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "The foreign patient attraction business is a high value-added industry combining 'medical care' and 'tourism.' Through the 'Foreign Patient Attraction Activation Strategy' announced in May 2023, the government was able to achieve its goal of attracting 700,000 foreign patients by 2027 ahead of schedule. We will continue to expand government support and improve laws and systems that are felt on the ground to create a sustainable industrial ecosystem."