Health tourism spans wellness-focused travel, medical treatment abroad, and trips where health activities are secondary to another purpose. The figures below make those boundaries explicit: global wellness estimates cover domestic and international travel, while medical-tourism counts come from separate country and hospital measures.
Key Health Tourism Statistics
These highlights cover the scale, participation, spending, recovery, and definitions of health tourism:
- In 2024, global wellness-tourism expenditures were an estimated US$893.9 billion worldwide.
- From 2019 to 2024, wellness-tourism expenditures grew at an average annual rate of 6.4% globally.
- GWI forecasts wellness tourism to grow 9.1% annually and reach US$1,383.3 billion in 2029 worldwide.
- In 2023, the broader global wellness economy reached an estimated US$6.3 trillion, equal to 6.03% of global GDP.
- During 2020, global wellness-tourism expenditure fell 50% from its 2019 peak.
- In 2024, wellness-tourism expenditure recovered to 136% of its 2019 level, compared with 110% for all tourism globally.
- In 2024, wellness travelers made an estimated 1,239.1 million trips worldwide.
- In 2024, wellness trips represented 8.3% of all tourism trips globally, up from 6.3% in 2019.
- In 2024, domestic wellness travel accounted for 1,080.4 million trips, or 87% of the global wellness-tourism total.
- In 2024, international and inbound wellness travel accounted for 158.7 million trips, or 13% of the global total.
- In 2024, secondary wellness travel made up 83% of wellness trips worldwide, compared with 17% for primary wellness travel.
- In 2024, North America recorded an estimated US$346.9 billion in wellness-tourism expenditure.
- In 2024, Asia-Pacific wellness-tourism expenditure reached 153% of its 2019 level.
- In 2024, international wellness tourists spent an average of US$1,637 per trip.
- India recorded 644,387 foreign visitors for medical purposes in 2024.
- In 2023, medical-purpose visitors represented about 6.9% of India’s 9,520,928 foreign tourist arrivals.
- A WHO-linked study estimated 167,000 medical tourists in Thailand in 2010.
- In 2010, 34% of medical tourists in the studied Thai hospitals were treated for simple or uncomplicated conditions.
Contents
- Global health tourism market size and spending trends
- Wellness tourism statistics by region and post-pandemic recovery
- Health tourism trips, domestic travel, and international participation
- Medical tourism statistics from India and Thailand
- Health tourism spending and comparable country measures
- Definitions, measurement limits, and interpretation
Global Health Tourism Market Size and Spending Trends
The broadest consistent series in this dataset is the Global Wellness Institute’s wellness-tourism estimate. It combines domestic and international or inbound trips, plus primary and secondary wellness travel, so it should not be read as a count of medical-treatment journeys alone.
- Global wellness-tourism expenditures reached US$893.9 billion in 2024. The estimate includes domestic and international trips and both primary and secondary wellness tourism. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- GWI’s revised series places wellness-tourism expenditure at US$655.1 billion in 2019 and US$893.9 billion in 2024, with a reported 6.4% average annual growth rate over that period. Historical values were revised using underlying tourism data. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- GWI forecasts 9.1% annual growth from 2024 to 2029, taking global wellness-tourism expenditure to US$1,383.3 billion in 2029. This is a projection, not an observed outcome. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- Wellness tourism represented 13.2% of worldwide wellness spending in 2024 within GWI’s wellness-economy framework. This is not a share of all health spending. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- The broader global wellness economy reached US$6.3 trillion in 2023, equal to 6.03% of global GDP. GWI projects that broader economy to grow 7.3% annually from 2023 to 2028 and approach US$9.0 trillion in 2028. 2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor
The pandemic created a sharp interruption followed by a strong rebound in the wellness series. GWI estimates that wellness-tourism expenditure fell 50% from its 2019 peak during 2020, then reached 136% of its 2019 level in 2024, compared with 110% for all tourism.
Wellness Tourism Statistics by Region and Post-Pandemic Recovery
Regional totals show where wellness-tourism spending was concentrated in 2024. They include domestic and inbound spending, so the figures describe destination-market activity rather than only foreign medical visitors.
| Region | 2024 wellness-tourism expenditure | Additional 2019–2024 measure |
|---|---|---|
| North America | US$346.9 billion | — |
| Europe | US$258.2 billion | — |
| Asia-Pacific | US$215.0 billion | 153% of 2019 level |
| Latin America-Caribbean | US$41.0 billion | — |
| Middle East-North Africa | US$24.7 billion | 201% of 2019 level; 15.0% annual growth |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | US$8.2 billion | — |
Source: Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025. Regional estimates include domestic and inbound spending.
North America had the largest reported 2024 total at US$346.9 billion, followed by Europe at US$258.2 billion and Asia-Pacific at US$215.0 billion. The Middle East-North Africa region recorded the fastest reported 2019–2024 average annual growth at 15.0%, while its expenditure reached 201% of the 2019 level.
Health Tourism Trips, Domestic Travel, and International Participation
Travel counts explain why health tourism cannot be equated with international medical travel. GWI’s 2024 wellness series counted trips, not unique travelers, and classified a trip as wellness-related even when wellness was secondary to the main travel purpose.
- Wellness travelers made 1,239.1 million trips worldwide in 2024, compared with 14,895.2 million all-tourism trips. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- Wellness trips represented 8.3% of all tourism trips in 2024, up from 6.3% in 2019. GWI’s classification includes secondary wellness trips. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- Wellness tourism represented 17.6% of all tourism spending in 2024, up from 14.2% in 2019. This is a tourism-spending share, not a medical-treatment share. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- Domestic wellness trips accounted for 1,080.4 million trips, or 87% of the global total, in 2024. Under GWI’s framework, domestic means travel within the traveler’s country with an overnight stay. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- International and inbound wellness trips accounted for 158.7 million trips, or 13% of the global total, in 2024. This segment is not identical to medical travel. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
Primary wellness trips are motivated mainly by wellness, while secondary wellness trips add wellness activities to another type of trip. In 2024, secondary travel made up 83% of wellness trips and 84% of wellness-tourism expenditure, representing US$748.9 billion.
Average spending also varies by market and by the mix of domestic and inbound travel. International wellness tourists spent an average US$1,637 per trip in 2024, while the regional averages were US$1,449 in North America, US$741 in Europe, and US$382 in Asia-Pacific; none is a treatment price.
Medical Tourism Statistics from India and Thailand
Medical-tourism measures use narrower and less harmonized definitions than the wellness series. India’s official arrivals category provides a recent national time series, while the Thailand figures come from a 2010 study of five private hospitals.
| Year | India: foreign visitors for medical purposes |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 697,453 |
| 2020 | 182,945 |
| 2021 | 323,748 |
| 2022 | 474,798 |
| 2023 | 659,356 |
| 2024 | 644,387 |
Source: Press Information Bureau: Medical and Wellness Tourism. These are official arrivals categories, not all health or wellness tourists.
India’s medical-purpose visitor count fell to 182,945 in 2020, then increased to 659,356 in 2023 and 644,387 in 2024. In 2023, the category represented about 6.9% of India’s 9,520,928 total foreign tourist arrivals, based on the two official table counts.
Thailand illustrates why hospital records and national arrivals should not be treated as interchangeable. A WHO-linked study estimated 167,000 medical tourists in Thailand in 2010, about 10% of a previous government estimate of 1.2 million; the study’s estimate was based on five private hospitals.
The same study identified 324,906 hospital visits from 104,830 medical tourists among 911,913 foreign-patient records in 2010. The hospitals were estimated to cover 63% of foreign patients, and visits were not unique patients.
Health Tourism Spending and Comparable Country Measures
Historical health-service consumption data provide a different lens from wellness-tourism spending. The OECD’s 2008 chart reported medical-tourism values as health-service consumption abroad, with country reporting methods and coverage differing across markets.
| Country | Reported 2008 medical-tourism value |
|---|---|
| Germany | US$1,005 million |
| United States | US$757 million |
| Netherlands | US$576 million |
| Canada | US$366 million |
| Belgium | US$277 million |
| Italy | US$267 million |
| Turkey | US$212 million |
Source: OECD Observer, Volume 2010 Issue 4. These historical values should not be directly compared with later GWI wellness-tourism expenditure as if the definitions were identical.
The OECD reported that OECD countries consumed more than US$5 billion of healthcare services abroad in 2008. It described the aggregate as hard but patchy and likely to underestimate activity.
For a modern destination-market comparison within the wellness series, the United States had an estimated US$330.2 billion in wellness-tourism expenditure and 220.5 million wellness trips in 2024. Those measures include domestic and inbound wellness trips and therefore differ from the OECD health-service measure.
Health Tourism Definitions, Measurement Limits, and What the Data Show
The most important distinction is between health tourism as a broad umbrella and medical tourism as a narrower treatment-related category. GWI’s series covers 212 countries and combines primary and secondary wellness travel, while official medical-arrival statistics and hospital studies use their own definitions.
- In 2024, secondary wellness travel represented US$748.9 billion, or 84% of wellness-tourism expenditure, because many wellness activities occur during trips with another primary purpose. Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025
- In the 2010 Thailand hospital study, 34% of medical tourists were treated for simple or uncomplicated conditions, including check-ups and consultations. The sample was not nationally representative. Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study
- The Thailand study reported mean self-reported non-medical expenditure of US$2,750 per medical tourist among 293 surveyed medical tourists. This is a study-sample result, not a national average. Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study
- The study recorded 67,987 visits from patients in the eastern Mediterranean region or Asia, equal to 64.8% of the reported group. This is a visit-based regional grouping, not a global origin distribution. Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study
- The Thailand study cited an estimate of US$7.5 billion in medical-tourism revenue between the start of 2004 and the end of 2008. This was a historical estimate cited by the study, not its own national accounts series. Medical tourism in Thailand: a cross-sectional study
WHO notes that there is no agreed international definition or common collection method for medical tourism, which limits cross-country comparison. The OECD’s older series likewise described health-service activity abroad as hard to measure, while the GWI wellness series revises historical tourism values and draws on Euromonitor and individual country sources.
The practical reading is therefore layered: use GWI for the scale and structure of wellness-related travel, use official arrival categories for country-specific medical visitor trends, and use hospital studies or OECD measures only with their sampling, period, and definition caveats attached.