In a world separated by differing practices and regulations at each country border, medical tourism has emerged as a profitable industry only equipped to grow in the coming years.
But how big is it? Varying reports on revenue generated by medical tourism differentiate by 8 or 9 figures. An Allied Market Research report from October 2017 valued the global medical tourism market more than $61 billion in 2016. By their estimate, it should reach $165 billion in the next 5 years.
However the bottom line looks, the CDC believes about a third of it comes from the estimated hundreds of thousands of patients that leave the United States annually seeking treatment in other countries. Most patients pursuing treatment outside of the United States do so in hopes of saving money, though many are looking for shorter waiting lists, or treatments that may not be readily available or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
