KUALA LUMPUR - South Korea recorded 2.01 million foreign visitors seeking medical treatment in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on April 27.

These visitors are estimated to have spent more than 12 trillion won on tourism activities during their stay.

The number of foreign patients nearly doubled from 1.17 million in 2024, which had already risen from 605,768 in 2023.

Data for both 2023 and 2024 had set new records at the time.

Medical tourism continues to generate strong revenue, as many patients combine treatment with travel.

The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade estimated that foreign patients and their companions spent 12.5 trillion won (USD8.4 billion) on tourism in 2025, compared with 3.3 trillion won on medical treatment.

Patients from 201 countries and territories visited healthcare facilities in South Korea last year.

Chinese visitors made up the largest group at 30.8%, followed by Japanese patients at 29.8%.

They were followed by patients from Taiwan (9.2%), the United States (8.6%) and Thailand (2.9%).

This marked the first time China ranked as the top source of foreign patients.

The number of patients from China and Taiwan more than doubled from 2024 to 2025.

Visitors from the United States and Canada also rose sharply, increasing by 70.4% and 59.1% respectively.

Most foreign patients sought dermatology treatment, accounting for 62.9% of cases.

Cosmetic procedures made up 11.2% of treatments.

Clinic level facilities handled 87.7% of all patient visits.

Seoul treated 87.2% of foreign patients, as the capital hosts 62.5% of registered medical institutions.