Medical tourism

Chronicle

2024

The volume of the global medical tourism market for the year exceeded $31 billion

In 2024, costs in the field of medical tourism on a global scale reached $31.23 billion. More than a third of this amount fell on the European region. Such data are provided in a Fortune Business Insights study, the results of which Zdrav.Expert reviewed in mid-May 2025.

Health and wellness and medical tourism is gaining popularity for several reasons. Among them are the price and quality of the services provided, the reputation of foreign medical organizations, the need for a long period of waiting for assistance in the home region, etc. Some types of high-tech interventions and procedures are carried out by highly qualified specialists in strictly defined centers or institutes. Technological advances, which are being implemented primarily in developed countries, play an important role in expanding the industry.

Among the restraining factors are language barriers, as well as issues related to the transparency of services, the total cost of treatment, the qualification of medical professionals and the continuity of therapy.

By the type of procedures, the market is segmented into medical, wellness and alternative treatment. In 2024, the first of these areas provided the lion's share of revenue - 55.1%, or $17.21 billion. From a geographical point of view, Europe is leading, where costs amounted to $11.37 billion, which corresponds to 36.4% of global spending. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates the highest growth rate.

In 2025, medical tourism spending worldwide is expected to reach $38.2 billion. Fortune Business Insights analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR in the market under consideration will be 23%. As a result, by 2032, costs on a global scale could increase to $162.8 billion.^[1]

Growth in the volume of the Russian market for domestic medical tourism by 14% to ₽396 billion

In April 2025, the analytical company BusinesStat reported that the volume of the Russian market for domestic medical tourism in 2024 reached ₽396 billion, which is 14% more than in 2023, when it amounted to ₽345 billion.

According to BusinesStat, for the period from 2020 to 2024, the total cost of medical services provided as part of domestic medical tourism in the country increased by 72% - from ₽230 billion to ₽396 billion. The growth dynamics was uneven: in 2021 the market increased by 20% to ₽276 billion, in 2022 the growth rate slowed down to 9% (₽301 billion), and in 2023 it again accelerated to 15% (₽345 billion).

Research company OMI found that 18% of Russians try to combine each trip on vacation with health care. At the same time, 25% of respondents believe that medical tourism will be attractive and relevant for them in the future.

The decrease in the availability of outbound tourism due to quarantine restrictions in 2020-2021 and the difficulty in obtaining medical care abroad amid the imposition of sanctions in 2022 led to an increase in domestic medical tourism. The coronavirus pandemic has become one of the key incentives to increase demand for health services within the country.

Interest in health tourism is also fueled by the overall growth of the domestic tourist flow. In 2023, it increased by 20% and amounted to a record 78 million trips. By 2030, the figure is projected to double further.

The main flow of foreign patients comes from the CIS countries, Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, with 80% coming from Central Asian citizens. This is largely due to good transport links between countries and the lack of language barriers. In total, in 2023, as part of medical tourism, 16.2 million foreign citizens visited Russia.

The growth rate of the medical tourism market in Russia demonstrates stability at the level of 15% per year in 2023-2024, which indicates the formation of a sustainable trend in the development of this segment of the economy.^[2]

How medical tourism is developing in Russia

The development of medical tourism in Russia requires an integrated approach aimed at attracting foreign citizens, especially from the CIS and BRICS countries. This conclusion is made in a study published in August 2024 by the consulting company Yakov & Partners, which emphasizes the importance of updating the national strategy in this area to achieve significant results.

Medical tourism refers to the receipt of medical services outside the region of residence. It can be a special trip for treatment or combining rest with medical consultations and procedures.

source-Unsplash

According to the study, by 2030 the volume of the medical tourism market in Russia may range from $2.2 billion to $7.6 billion, depending on development scenarios. However, as of August 2024, the contribution of this sector to the country's GDP is insignificant - less than 0.01%, which is less than $0.2 billion at the end of 2023. Key barriers, such as limited infrastructure capacity and difficulties with accreditation of health facilities, need to be addressed to improve the situation, experts point out.

According to experts, in the medium term, until 2026, special attention should be paid to attracting medical tourists from the CIS countries, including English-speaking patients. It is important to ensure the readiness of the infrastructure of Russian clinics for mass reception of foreign citizens, which is especially important for friendly countries of non-CIS countries, such as the BRICS + states.

In the long term, until 2027 and beyond, experts suggest focusing on improving the quality standards of healthcare services and accreditation of healthcare facilities. As Maxim Moseiko, an expert in Yakov & Partners health care practice, noted, the successful digital transformation of the Russian health care system and the increase in the role of insurance companies in the medical care of foreign citizens play a key role in the development of this area.^[3]

For 5 years, 200 thousand Chinese came to Russia for treatment

Over the past five years, almost 200 thousand Chinese citizens have come to Russia to receive medical services. This was announced on August 19, 2024 by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova at the 25th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Humanitarian Cooperation, emphasizing the importance of developing this area.

According to RBC, Tatyana Golikova noted that in the period from 2019 to 2024, 198 thousand Chinese visited Russian medical institutions of the Ministry of Health. The most popular areas were ophthalmology, psychiatry, oncology and nuclear medicine. These areas are actively developing in cooperation between Russia and China, which contributes to the strengthening of bilateral relations in the field of health care.

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Фото: Freepik

The Minister of Health Russia Mikhail Murashko in February 2024 also said that there is a stable influx of patients from various countries, including Europe Asia and Arab, states who come to Russia for treatment. The most popular areas among foreign patients, according to him, are ophthalmology, oncology, cardiology and dentistry.

Medical tourism brings significant revenues to the Russian economy. According to the Minister of Health, the annual profit from medical services provided to foreign citizens is more than $1 billion. Mikhail Murashko noted that the demand for Russian medical services continues to grow, especially in light of the high level of professionalism and modern technologies used in Russian clinics.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko in 2024 stressed that in recent years in Russia there have also been positive changes in the beauty industry, which has become another attractive direction for foreign patients.^[4]

2022: Number of foreigners' appeals reaches 12 million

In 2022, 12 million visitors turned to Russian clinics, spending more than $700 million on treatment. The most popular areas among foreigners are orthopedics, ophthalmology, oncology, cardiac surgery, pediatrics and other areas. At the same time, only 5% of the total were medical tourists.

Yevgeny Chernyshev, President of the Association for Medical Tourism and Export of Medical Services, said that the main factor restraining the development of the medical tourism industry is the lack of legal ability of state hospitals to pay commissions to agents (tour operators and agencies specializing in medical tourism). As for the advantages, Russia as a player in the medical tourism market, this is a serious level of personnel qualification and a high technical equipment of medical institutions. Chernyshev also reported that 80% of the flow of medical tourists are Russian-speaking citizens of neighboring countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. High interest in medical tourism in the Russian Federation is also observed among residents. In China their case, one of the most popular profiles is reproductive, medicine since such technologies are China prohibited.

12 million visitors turned to Russian clinics

In April 2022, the Russian Ministry of Health proposed launching a national online booking system for medical tourism. According to the authors of the project, this innovation will expand the list of services in Russian medical institutions and facilitate the process of their choice. The platform is an analogue of the Booking system and is designed to rank the country's clinics by attractiveness, quality and accessibility for patients.

According to Andrei Gayderov, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Public Relations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the organization of medical tourism in Russia is the goal of the federal project "Development of Export of Medical Services" (part of the state project "Healthcare"), which has been operating since January 1, 2019, due to it it is planned to increase the export value of medical services to $1 billion by 2024.

In early November 2019, the Central Research Institute of Organization and Informatization of the Ministry of health care Health launched the portal "Development of Export of Medical Services." On the website, users can search for clinics in various areas of medicine, such as orthopedic surgery, transplantology and oncology. According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the largest number of foreign patients from 2019 to 2020 were from such countries Belarus Kazakhstan Serbia Germany:,,,,,,,,. In Latvia Uzbekistan Tajikistan Azerbaijan 2022, Moldova Ukraine^[5]

2023:78% of the turnover of inbound medical tourism in Russia fell on the CIS countries

In 2023, Russia continued to remain a popular destination for medical tourism, especially among citizens of the post-Soviet countries and neighboring countries. Such data, presented by the analytical agency BusinesStat, TAdviser was reviewed in January 2025.

According to BusinesStat, in 2024, 78% of the total turnover of inbound medical tourism in Russia was provided by patients from these regions. The leader in the number of medical tourists was Kazakhstan, which accounted for 19.3% of the total volume of services provided. In second place was Uzbekistan with a share of 11.9%, and the third position was taken by Tajikistan, whose citizens amounted to 9.2%. Armenia and Belarus added to the top five, providing 8.6% and 6.4%, respectively.

According to BusinesStat, cultural proximity, lack of language barriers, low flight costs, short travel times and visa-free travel are key in attracting patients from these countries. These factors make Russian medicine available to many citizens of neighboring countries.

Statistics also show that 22% of the turnover of medical tourism in Russia in 2023 fell on patients from other countries, including Georgia (5.8%), Azerbaijan (5.6%), Abkhazia (5.5%) and South Ossetia (3.2%). The least tourists arrived from Kyrgyzstan (2.5%) and a number of other countries, united in the category "other countries."

Patients who come for treatment in, Russia most often seek high-tech medical care in the field of oncology, cardiology, ophthalmology, gynecology and. plastic surgery Check-up programs and consultations on complex medical cases also remain popular.^[6]

2021: Foreign spending on medical services in Russia increased by 52%

The spending of foreigners on medical services in Russia in 2021 increased by 52% compared to 2020 and amounted to $539.6 million. Such data in April 2022 was published by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

According to the regulator's estimates, in 2021, medical organizations in Moscow ($254.76 million) and St. Petersburg ($41.13 million) became the leaders in the export of medical services. At the expense of clinics from these regions, the Central Federal District and the North-Western Federal District are also leading in terms of medical care to foreigners in monetary terms - $315.01 million and $63.7 million at the end of 2021, respectively. $14.18 million was provided by the clinic in the Tyumen region, $11.02 million - in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, $10.8 million - in the Krasnodar Territory.

Foreign spending on medical services in Russia increased by 52% over the year

Least often, foreign patients sought medical care in the Southern Federal District ($23 million) and the North Caucasus Federal District ($10.47 million). For example, in the Republic of Ingushetia, the value of the services provided by the visitor was at the level of $110 thousand. In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, there were no such patients at all.

At the same time, according to the Coordinating Center, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation of the Ministry of Health, due to closed borders and restrictions on movement of export revenues of Russian medical organizations decreased in 2020 from $223 million to $197 million a year later. According to analysts from the Ministry of Economic Development, which were data in 2022, it will take at least three years to restore this market at least to the level reached before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specialists of the Center for Medical Statistics of the State Budgetary Institution "NIIOZMM DZM" calculated that in 2021 the amount of the cost of medical services provided to foreign citizens in medical organizations of the state health care system of the city of Moscow amounted to 3.6 billion rubles, which is significantly more than a year earlier. The positive dynamics of the indicator was influenced not only by an almost twofold increase in the number of foreign citizens who applied for medical services, which became more accessible after the weakening of short-term restrictive measures introduced in the country in 2020 due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, and the opening of international borders for citizens of some foreign countries, but also the growth of the "average check" for services, the report says.^[7]

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