Medical emergencies accounted for 43% of travel insurance claims in 2025
Large claims linked to fractures, falls, and emergency treatment highlight the financial exposure facing insurers and assistance providers
Medical expenses accounted for more than two-fifths of all travel insurance claims in 2025, according to new data from travel insurance provider multitrip.com.
The company's analysis of claims submitted by UK customers found that medical expenses represented 43% of all claims during the year, making them by far the most common cause of loss.
Cancellation claims ranked second at 16%, followed by loss of personal possessions (10%), travel delays (9%), and curtailment claims (4%).
While the findings broadly align with wider industry trends, the data highlights the increasingly severe financial consequences of relatively routine medical incidents overseas.
Among the largest claims recorded were injuries to tendons in both knees following a fall in the US, resulting in costs of £391,221, including surgery and medical repatriation. A fractured leg in the US generated a claim of £280,288, while a motorcycle accident in Thailand cost £101,374.
Even less serious incidents carried substantial costs. Emergency surgery for appendicitis in Spain resulted in a claim of £17,450, while dehydration treatment in Spain cost £7,267 and treatment for food poisoning in Greece reached £1,611.
The figures illustrate a challenge increasingly familiar to the sector: many of the claims driving overall costs do not stem from rare or exotic medical events, but from everyday illnesses and accidents occurring in destinations where healthcare costs are high.
Fractures and broken bones represented the largest category of medical assistance claims, accounting for 34% of cases, closely followed by internal illnesses, including gastrointestinal, respiratory and ear, nose and throat conditions, at 33%. Burns, bites and soft tissue injuries made up a further 10%.
Industry data published by the Association of British Insurers previously showed medical expenses accounted for more than a third of all travel insurance claims by value, with insurers paying out hundreds of millions of pounds annually for overseas medical treatment.
The financial impact is particularly pronounced in the US, where hospital admissions, surgery, and medical transportation can quickly escalate claim values.
For insurers, this increases pressure on underwriting, pricing, and reinsurance arrangements, while assistance providers face growing challenges in managing complex overseas cases and controlling medical costs.