Record Number of Foreign Patients Visit South Korea in 2024
In 2024, South Korea welcomed over 1 million foreign patients for the first time, setting a new record. More than half of these patients sought dermatological treatments, with Japanese nationals making up the largest group. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a total of 1,170,467 foreign patients visited South Korea last year, nearly doubling from 605,768 in the previous year. These patients were not residents of South Korea and were not enrolled in the national health insurance system.
The influx of foreign patients has been permitted since 2009, when 60,201 foreign patients received treatment. This number steadily increased, reaching 497,464 by 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop to 117,069 in 2020, but since 2022, the number of foreign patients has been growing at an annual rate of approximately 100%. From 2009 to 2024, a total of 5,047,809 foreign patients have visited South Korea.
Last year, patients from 202 different countries came to South Korea, with 441,112 (37.7%) being Japanese. Following Japan were Chinese patients at 260,641 (22.3%), Americans at 101,733 (8.7%), Taiwanese at 83,456 (7.1%), and Thai patients at 38,152 (3.3%). Taiwan saw the highest growth rate, with the number of patients increasing more than sixfold from 12,828 in 2023.
Dermatology was the most sought-after specialty, with 705,044 patients (56.6%), surpassing the total number of foreign patients in 2023. Plastic surgery followed with 141,845 patients (11.4%). A representative from the Ministry noted that the high regard for Korean cosmetics among foreigners likely contributed to the increase in visits to dermatology and plastic surgery clinics.
Geographically, nearly 100% of foreign patients visited Seoul, totaling 999,642 (85.4%), as many hospitals specializing in dermatology and plastic surgery are located there. Jeju Island experienced the highest growth rate, with patient numbers rising from 6,823 in 2023 to 21,901 last year, more than tripling.
