Every year, hundreds of thousands of people board a plane to India for surgery, cancer care, transplants and recovery. Here is what the official numbers say: who comes, from where, how the market is growing, and what it means if you are planning treatment, or helping others plan it as an agent.
Who Comes, and From Where
Most international patients come from India's neighbourhood and from countries with close air links: South Asia, the Gulf, Central Asia and East Africa. Bangladesh alone accounts for nearly two in three medical arrivals. The order below is the Government's own ranking for 2025.
| Bangladesh | 325,127 |
|---|---|
| Iraq | 30,989 |
| Uzbekistan | 13,699 |
| Somalia | 11,506 |
| Turkmenistan | 10,231 |
| Oman | 9,738 |
| Kenya | 9,357 |
Source: Ministry of Tourism figures published by PIB, May 2026. Arrivals of foreign nationals whose stated purpose of visit was medical treatment.
For our agents, this is the map that matters. Families in these countries already trust Indian medicine, and they ask the same questions every time: which hospital, how much, how long, and who will look after us there. Good, honest answers win them over. That is the work our agent network does.
How the Numbers Are Moving
| 2023 | 643,541 |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 624,761 |
| 2025 | 508,330 |
Source: figures given by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in a parliamentary answer, as reported by ETV Bharat, August 2026. Counts include e-Medical visas.
Two honest readings of this chart. First, India remains one of the world's largest destinations for medical travel: more than 1.7 million medical visas in three years. Second, the number of medical visas has fallen since 2023. The official sources do not give a reason, so we won't guess one; what they do show is that patients now come from a wide spread of regions, from Central Asia and the Gulf to East Africa.
The Market, in Dollars
| 2025 | 8.7 bn |
|---|---|
| 2030 (projected) | 16.2 bn |
Source: Government of India estimate published by PIB, May 2026. Globally, medical value travel was about US$115.6 bn in 2022, projected to reach about US$286.1 bn by 2030.
Why Patients Choose India
| What patients weigh | What India offers | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Often a fraction of private prices in the US, UK or Gulf for the same procedure | A written, itemised estimate before you book (how to compare estimates) |
| Quality | 1,299+ NABH-accredited hospitals; 27 JCI-accredited hospitals counted in 2022 | The hospital's accreditation and your surgeon's experience in your exact procedure |
| Waiting time | Consultations within days and surgery dates within weeks are common | Whether recovery time in India is built into the plan |
| Visas | e-Medical and e-Medical Attendant visas for 172 nationalities; AYUSH visas since July 2023 | Apply only on the official e-Visa portal (our visa guide) |
| Traditional medicine | Ayurveda, yoga and other AYUSH systems, with 140+ insurance products covering AYUSH care | Use them alongside, not instead of, your specialist's plan (integrative healing) |
What North India Adds
Most medical travel to India still flows through Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. North India's Tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula) offers something different: a calm, planned city with its own international airport, a national research institute in PGIMER, accredited private and charitable hospitals, and the Himalayan foothills an hour away for recovery. Read why Chandigarh, browse the Tricity medical directory, or see the hospitals map.
What This Means for Agents
- Demand is broad: patients come from more than 176 countries, so local, trusted guidance is valuable almost everywhere.
- Families want honesty first: written estimates, named doctors and no pressure. That is how we work, and how our agents work.
- Growth is real: the Government projects the market to almost double by 2030.
Independent research. Figures are quoted from the official and published sources listed below, as they stood when we checked them (October 2026). BookMedTrip is an independent facilitator and is not affiliated with any government body, hospital, charity or organisation named here, and receives no commission from them. If anything here is out of date or inaccurate, please write to care@bookmedtrip.com and we will correct it.
ጥያቄዎች
How many people travel to India for medical treatment?
The Government reported 507,244 foreign nationals arriving for medical treatment in 2025, and more than 1.7 million medical visas over 2023–2025.
Which countries send the most patients?
In 2025: Bangladesh, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Oman and Kenya, in that order.
Is there a special visa?
Yes. India offers e-Medical and e-Medical Attendant visas to 172 nationalities, and AYUSH visas for traditional medicine. Apply only on the official portal.
ምንጮች
- Medical and Wellness Tourism in India, Government of India (PIB), 2 May 2026
- Over 18 lakh foreigners visited India for medical tourism in two years, ETV Bharat, 4 Aug 2026 (parliamentary answer)
- India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, Ministry of Tourism
- Indian e-Visa portal, Government of India
- National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH)
