Medical Tourism Market: UAE, India and the competing hubs 2026–2032

Medical tourism — patients travelling across borders for treatment — recovered quickly after the pandemic and is growing on the back of capacity in a handful of hubs. Published estimates for the 2025 global market range from USD 35.0 bn to USD 76.1 bn (definitions vary widely); our central estimate is USD 55.0 bn, growing at about 12% to USD 122 bn by 2032.

India is one of the largest destinations by patient numbers, drawing from Bangladesh, Africa, the GCC, Afghanistan, the CIS and the diaspora, with a strong position in complex surgery, oncology, transplant and orthopaedics at a fraction of Western prices. The UAE (Dubai in particular) positions itself as a premium, proximate hub for GCC, CIS and African patients, backed by government programmes and specialist capacity. Saudi Arabia is building inbound capacity; Thailand and Turkey remain the volume leaders in wellness, dental and aesthetic travel.

The chart shows the Consulting Wallah central estimate: published figures normalised to 2025, median taken, and projected at the median published growth rate. The published range for 2025 is USD 35.0 bn–USD 76.1 bn; differences are mostly scope.

Included: inbound patients travelling primarily for treatment, including accompanying spend captured by providers; government and facilitator programmes. Excluded: expatriate residents treated in-country; wellness tourism without clinical treatment (reported as context). Note: national statistics count visas and arrivals differently, so figures are not strictly comparable.

Shares as reported by the named sources; ranking is more reliable than the exact percentage.

• Dubai received 691,478 international health tourists in 2023, spending AED 1.034 bn directly (indirect AED 2.3 bn); 58% women (DHA / WAM)
• Implied direct spend per Dubai health tourist ~AED 1,495 in 2023 (Zavis)
• Dubai has 56,239 healthcare professionals from 110 nationalities; 111 DXH-approved providers (Dubai Health Investment Guide 2024 via Zavis)
• India issued 463,725 medical visas in 2024 and attracts 2 mn+ medical tourists/yr from 75+ countries; ranked 10th on Medical Tourism Index, 7th in wellness (FHRAI-KPMG)
• Medical tourists were 5.5% of India's 9.15 mn foreign arrivals in 2025; Bangladesh >325,000, then Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Oman, Kenya (Outlook India)
• Thai SET-listed private hospitals expected ~THB 57 bn foreign-patient revenue and ~3.07 mn foreign patient visits in 2024 (Kasikorn Research)
• Dubai Chamber reported UAE medical tourism sales of AED 12.1 bn in 2018 (broad definition) (Zavis)
• Global medical tourism estimates range from USD 35 bn (GMI narrow) to USD 144.5 bn (Research and Markets) for 2024-25 (multiple)

UAE

Dubai Health Experience (DXH) markets packages and facilitators; Abu Dhabi positions specialist centres (Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Burjeel oncology, SSMC). Target markets: GCC, CIS, Africa, South Asia diaspora. Price positioning is premium; proximity and visa ease are the levers.

India

Heal in India / medical value travel initiatives, e-medical visas and a facilitator ecosystem; Apollo, Fortis, Max, Medanta, Manipal, Narayana, Aster and others run international patient departments; Bangladesh and Africa are the largest sources; GCC patients come for complex and cost-sensitive care.

Key companies named across the sources; local distributors and implementation partners matter as much as the brand in the GCC and India.

• Hospital leaders: international patient volume needs transparent package pricing, outcomes data, language and visa support, and a payer strategy (embassies, insurers, facilitators); measure contribution margin per package, not revenue.
• Investors: specialist centres of excellence (oncology, cardiac, orthopaedics, fertility) in hubs with air connectivity; facilitator and tele-follow-up platforms.
• GCC–India corridor: pre-travel diagnostics in the GCC, treatment in India, follow-up by telehealth — a model several groups are formalising.

1. Research and Markets / GlobeNewswire, Medical Tourism Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast Report 2025-2033 — globenewswire.com
2. Global Market Insights, Medical Tourism Market Size - By Application, By Travel Type, 2025-2035 — gminsights.com
3. Zavis, WHX: medical tourism to $142bn - UAE operators — zavis.ai
4. Zavis, Dubai medical tourism and the GCC race 2026 — zavis.ai
5. Economy Middle East, Dubai welcomes over 691,000 health tourists generating $280.42 million — economymiddleeast.com
6. WAM, Dubai welcomes more than 691,000 international medical tourists in 2023 — wam.ae
7. Outlook India, India's medical tourism market may nearly double by 2030, says government — outlookindia.com
8. BioSpectrum India (FHRAI/KPMG), 'Heal in India' report sets blueprint for world-class medical and wellness tourism — biospectrumindia.com
9. Research and Markets / GlobeNewswire, Saudi Arabia Medical Tourism Market Report 2025-2030 — globenewswire.com
10. Credence Research / PRNewswire, GCC Medical Tourism Market to Reach USD 889.97 million by 2032 — tools.prnewswire.com
11. Kasikorn Research, Medical Tourism outlook 2024 (Thailand) — kasikornresearch.com
12. Global Market Insights (GMI) (2025) — USD 76.1 bn (2025) to USD 174.1 bn (2035), CAGR 8.4%; scope: Global medical tourism; 2026 est. USD 84.5 bn; cosmetic surgery 17.1% share, fertility fastest (9.4% CAGR); APAC USD 33.7 bn, Europe USD 21.7 bn in 2025 — source
13. Global Market Insights (as cited by WHX / Zavis) (2026-06) — USD 35 bn (2025) to USD 142 bn (2034), CAGR 16.8%; scope: Narrower GMI definition cited at WHX; USD 30.5 bn in 2024 — source
14. Consulting Wallah Network — anonymised observations from procurement and business-setup work with hospital groups and suppliers in the UAE, India and Bangladesh (2024–26), used for the GCC/India outlook and the “what it means” section.
15. Method. Each published figure is normalised to a 2025 base using its own CAGR; the Consulting Wallah central estimate is the median of the normalised figures (or the stated scope where noted) projected at the median CAGR to 2032. Country figures are quoted as published; where we add a CW estimate it is labelled.