India’s profile as a medical tourism destination has risen steadily in recent years, despite the setback caused by COVID-19, during which international tourist arrivals to India declined sharply. Patients from various countries have been coming to India, attracted by advanced medical facilities and clinical expertise available at lower costs.

Medical tourist traffic before the pandemic was close to 700,000 a year, and the influx of medical travellers is fast returning to that level. Medical-purpose arrivals reached 644,000 in 2024, compared with 659,000 in 2023. The latest available provisional figures estimate tourist arrivals to India for medical treatment at 507,244 in 2025. This figure is likely to be revised, as it is not final data.

India is aiming high in the field of medical tourism. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal stated at a global health expo in New Delhi recently that the country has set an annual target of 10 million medical-value travellers.

He proposed a five-point plan to make India a global health destination: train certified caregivers; ensure transparent hospital packages through Heal in India; simplify insurance and telemedicine; strengthen global outreach through accredited hospitals; and upgrade healthcare and wellness centres in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to expand jobs, infrastructure, and access.

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Industry estimates now value India’s medical tourism market at roughly $7.7–11 billion, with forecasts of $16–22 billion by 2030–31.

India receives the largest share of medical tourists from Bangladesh, with over 325,000 arrivals in 2025 alone. It is followed by Iraq, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Kenya. Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Nigeria are also important source countries. Patients from Bangladesh and other South Asian neighbours come chiefly because of cost and proximity. Those from Africa, the CIS states, and the Middle East often come because specific specialties—cardiac care, oncology, and transplants—are unavailable, unaffordable, or subject to long waiting lists at home.

The most sought-after treatments include cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology, orthopaedic and joint-replacement procedures, oncology, organ transplantation (liver, kidney, and bone marrow), fertility and IVF treatment, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, and neurosurgery. The newly created AYUSH visa category has generated interest in Ayurveda, yoga, and wellness therapies.

India’s biggest advantage is cost. Large private hospital networks, high-end diagnostics and surgery, relatively short waiting times, traditional wellness offerings such as Ayurveda and yoga, and English-speaking clinicians together make for a powerful combination.

Medical treatment costs are around 60% to 90% lower than in many Western nations, without a corresponding compromise in outcomes. Success rates for procedures such as bypass surgery are reported to match or exceed international benchmarks.

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Here are some indicative package comparisons. A heart bypass operation that costs upwards of $120,000 in the United States costs $7,000–15,000 in India. Even against Asian rivals, India is significantly less expensive: a heart valve replacement priced at roughly $13,500 in Malaysia, $16,900 in Singapore, and $17,200 in Thailand costs around $9,500 in India. A knee replacement is estimated at $6,200 in India, compared with $50,000 in the United States, $12,297 in Thailand, $13,000 in Singapore, and $7,000 in Malaysia.

India now has a widened e-medical visa network covering 167 countries, simplified visa extensions, a growing base of internationally accredited hospitals, competitive pricing, and shorter waiting times than public healthcare systems in patients’ home countries can offer.

There are 57–61 JCI-accredited institutions and more than 4,650 NABH-accredited hospitals, concentrated heavily in the metros of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Most serious medical travellers, particularly those undergoing transplants or complex cardiac and oncology procedures, gravitate towards these accredited centres, as insurers and medical facilitators increasingly treat accreditation as a baseline signal of trust.

However, Tier-2 cities are closing the gap with the metros. Kochi and other Kerala hubs combine modern cardiac and fertility care with authentic Ayurveda. Kolkata, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad, Mysuru, and Nagpur are cited as rising Tier-2 medical tourism destinations, aided by improving air connectivity and lower operating costs. States such as Rajasthan have also launched their own “Heal in Rajasthan” transparency and pricing frameworks.

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As for clinical excellence, Indian hospitals have invested heavily in robotic surgery, proton therapy, CAR-T platforms, and advanced cardiac and transplant capabilities, narrowing the technology gap with Thailand, Singapore, and Turkey. The average hospital length of stay has fallen to roughly 3.4 days, reflecting faster patient turnover and technological efficiency. Indian-trained specialists, many with international fellowships, are widely cited as a core reason patients choose India over cheaper but less specialised destinations.

The proposed regional medical hubs, NABH-linked hospital promotion, and outreach focused on Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the CIS region may further strengthen India’s position on the medical tourism map.

The Narendra Modi government has initiated several measures to make the medical tourism sector more visible. These include the National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism, the e-medical visa framework, the AYUSH Visa, and the official Medical Value Travel portal, Heal in India.

In conclusion, it can be said that the sector has entered a new growth phase, though accreditation and specialists remain concentrated mostly in urban private hospitals. Sustaining progress requires transparent pricing, ethical referrals, credible outcomes, reliable follow-up, and broader access beyond the metros.