South Korea welcomed a total of two million medical tourists last year, according to figures from the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare – nearly double the 1.17 million who visited the country in 2024.

Additionally, the Korea Herald newspaper reported figures from the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade which found that foreign patients and those accompanying them spent over ₩12 trillion (US$ 8.11 billion) in 2025.

Of this sum, only around ₩3.3 trillion was spent on actual treatment.

International tourists came to South Korea from 201 countries last year, with almost a third (30.8%) coming from China. A further 29.8% were Japanese, while those from Taiwan (9.2%), the US (8.6%), and Thailand (2.9%) were also well represented.

A driving force behind the rise in patient numbers is a doubling in arrivals from China and Taiwan between 2024 and 2025, alongside major surges of patients from the US and Canada.

The majority (62.9%) of international patients visited South Korea to receive dermatology treatments, while one in nine (11.2%) came for cosmetic surgeries.

The data reflects a broader surge in tourists visiting South Korea in recent years.