Peep Korea
Data
Two Million. Not Your Review.
Korea medical tourism statistics from MOHW through 2025: patients by year, source countries, dermatology and plastic surgery shares, Seoul, spend, VAT.
Figures as of MOHW’s release of 24 April 2026, which counted 2025. They come from MOHW press releases and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute) reports. Department totals can exceed unique patients because one person who visits two departments is counted in both.
2,011,822 foreign patients were treated in Korea in 2025 by MOHW’s count, the first year above two million. MOHW defines a foreign patient as a non-resident foreigner who is not covered by Korea’s National Health Insurance and who received care at a Korean medical institution that reports foreign patients to MOHW. Counts below are unique patients (실환자) unless noted.
| Year | Foreign patients (unique) | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ~497,000 | Pre-COVID peak | MOHW 2023 release |
| 2020 | ~120,000 | COVID collapse | Same |
| 2022 | ~248,000 | Recovery year | Same |
| 2023 | ~606,000 (60.6만) | New record; +144% vs 2022 | MOHW 2023 |
| 2024 | 1,170,467 | First year above 1 million; +93.2% vs 2023 | MOHW 2024; KHIDI report |
| 2025 | 2,011,822 | First year above 2 million; visit-days ~2.72 million | MOHW 2025; Yonhap |
Cumulative unique patients since tracking began in 2009 reached about 5.05 million through 2024 and about 7.06 million through 2025 (MOHW).
| Rank | Country | Patients | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 618,973 | 30.8% |
| 2 | Japan | 600,009 | 29.8% |
| 3 | Taiwan | 185,715 | 9.2% |
| 4 | United States | 173,363 | 8.6% |
| 5 | Thailand | ~58,000 (5.8만) | — |
China and Japan together were 60.6% of all foreign patients in 2025. China overtook Japan for the first time. Source: MOHW 2025 via Yonhap.
Also in 2025 (MOHW): Canada 23,624 (+59.1%); Singapore ~43,000 (4.3만, +62.1%); Indonesia ~21,000 (2.1만, +104.6%).
| Rank | Country | Patients | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | ~441,000 (44.1만) | — |
| 2 | China | 261,000 (26.1만) | — |
| 3 | United States | 102,000 (10.2만) | 8.7% |
| 4 | Taiwan | 83,000 (8.3만) | 7.1% |
| 5 | Thailand | 38,000 (3.8만) | — |
Japan + China = 702,000 (60.0%). Source: MOHW 2024.
Top countries: Japan (~157,000), China (~112,000), United States (~77,000), Thailand (~31,000), Mongolia. Japan + China were 49.5%. Source: MOHW 2023.
Department counts are per specialty visit. One patient who sees dermatology and plastic surgery appears in both rows, so department totals can exceed the unique-patient total.
| Year | Dermatology | Plastic surgery | Internal medicine (integrated) | Health check-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 239,060 (35.2%) | 114,074 (16.8%) | ~91,000 (13.4%) | ~7.4% share |
| 2024 | 705,044 (56.6%) | 141,845 (11.4%) | ~10.0% share | ~4.5% share |
| 2025 | 1,312,700 (62.9%) | 233,100 (11.2%) | 192,208 (9.2%) | ~65,000 (3.1%) |
Sources: MOHW 2023–2025 releases; detailed year columns also appear in the KDI-circulated MOHW appendix for 2009–2025.
Clinic-level (의원) care took 66.5% of patients in 2023, 82.0% in 2024, and 87.7% (1,765,153) in 2025 — the aesthetic boom is concentrated in outpatient clinics, not tertiary hospitals (MOHW).
| Year | Seoul patients | Seoul share | Next cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ~473,000 | 78.1% | Gyeonggi 8.4%, Daegu 2.5% |
| 2024 | ~1,000,000 (999,642) | 85.4% | Gyeonggi 4.4%, Busan 2.6% |
| 2025 | 1,755,002 | 87.2% | Busan 3.8%, Gyeonggi 2.7%, Jeju 2.3% |
In 2025, 62.5% of the foreign-patient medical institutions counted by MOHW (2,555 of them) were in Seoul (MOHW 2025). Capital-region share was already 88.9% in 2023.
Official unique-patient statistics from MOHW/KHIDI do not publish a single “average surgery bill.” Spending figures that do exist use different methods — treat them as separate datasets, not as one ledger.
| Measure | Year | Figure | Method / caveat | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical-sector card spend by foreign patients | 2024 | ₩1.4053 trillion | Overseas-issued cards; ~919,000 card users (subset of all patients) | KHIDI card-data report (via Yonhap) |
| Of which dermatology (card) | 2024 | ₩585.5 billion | Card MCC / industry codes | Same |
| Of which plastic surgery (card) | 2024 | ₩359.4 billion | Card MCC / industry codes | Same |
| Per-patient medical card spend | 2024 | ~₩1.53 million | Among card users only | Same |
| Estimated medical-tourism spend (patients + companions) | 2024 | ₩7.5039 trillion | KIET model, not a cash register | Industry Research / Yonhap citing KIET |
| Estimated medical-tourism spend (patients + companions) | 2025 | ₩12.5 trillion | KIET model | MOHW 2025 |
| Of which medical spend (KIET) | 2025 | ₩3.3 trillion | KIET model | Same |
Not verified here: a single official “average rhinoplasty / eyelid price for foreigners” as a national statistic. Clinic menus vary too widely; our cost guides explain how a quote is built and print no Korean price ranges.
From 2016 through 31 December 2025, foreign visitors could reclaim the 10% VAT on many cosmetic and dermatology procedures under a special tax provision. The Ministry of Economy and Finance’s 2025 tax plan ended the sunset extension; the National Assembly’s December 2025 tax revision did not restore it. Procedures paid for or provided from 1 January 2026 are not eligible for that refund.
Sources: Korea Herald; Korea JoongAng Daily; Ministry of Economy and Finance 2025 tax reform coverage.
VAT refund volume itself rose sharply (industry reporting cited ~₩95.5 billion refunded in 2024). That is a tax-refund total, not patient revenue.
| # | Source | What we used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MOHW press release, 2023 foreign patients (29 Apr 2024) | 2023 totals, countries, departments, Seoul share |
| 2 | MOHW press release, 2024 foreign patients (2 Apr 2025) | 2024 totals, countries, departments, Seoul share |
| 3 | MOHW press release, 2025 foreign patients (24 Apr 2026) | 2025 totals, departments, Seoul, KIET spend |
| 4 | Yonhap summary of MOHW 2025 | Exact China / Japan / Taiwan / US / Seoul / clinic headcounts |
| 5 | KHIDI 2024 foreign-patient statistics report | 1,170,467 exact 2024 total; Japan 44.1만 |
| 6 | KHIDI 2024 card-spend analysis | ₩1.4053T medical card spend |
| 7 | Yonhap on 2024 card + KIET spend | Card and KIET 2024 figures |
| 8 | KDI-hosted MOHW 2009–2025 appendix | Department and Seoul time series |
| 9 | Korea Herald on VAT refund end | VAT refund ended 31 Dec 2025 |
Update log
Flagged / not included
MOHW counted 2,011,822 foreign patients in 2025, the first year above two million since its count began in 2009.
China and Japan, which together made up 60.6% of all foreign patients in 2025 (MOHW).
MOHW counted 173,363 patients from the United States in 2025, 8.6% of all foreign patients.
MOHW counted 1,312,700 foreign patients in dermatology in 2025, 62.9% of the count by department.
MOHW counted 233,100 foreign patients in plastic surgery in 2025, 11.2% of the count by department.
MOHW counts a patient once in each department they visit, so a patient seen in dermatology and in plastic surgery is in both counts.
MOHW counted 1,755,002 foreign patients in Seoul in 2025, 87.2% of the national total.
87.7% of foreign patients in 2025 were seen at clinic-level (의원) institutions (MOHW).
Showing 5 of 8
Korea winter festivals for January and February 2027: Hwacheon ice fishing dates, foreigner fees, buses from Seoul, and trout and snow festivals.
How foreigners buy K-pop concert tickets in Korea: ticket sites, passport checks, fan club presales, music show audiences, resale law, venues.
Gwangjang Market food guide for 2026: bindaetteok, mayak gimbap, yukhoe and kalguksu, food alley hours, cash or card, how to order at a stall price rules.
Korean drinking etiquette for visitors: two-hand pouring, turning away from elders, how to say no, alcohol-free options, legal age and public drinking rules.
