한국국제의료협회 Korea International Medical Association(KIMA) is to support the efforts of its members in expanding global access to Korea expertise in high quality healthcare. We remain committed in providing comprehensive and high-quality medical care to all of our patients. 82-2-362-7607~9 kimakorea@khidi.or.kr

한국국제의료협회

HOME
About us
Why Medical Korea

ABOUT US

Why Medical Korea

Foreign Patient's Nationality

Statistics on International Patients in Korea (2024), KHIDI

Actual no. of patients : No. of patients by hospital except multiple medical treatments and visits

https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr

(Accumulated from 2009 to 2024)

Number of Foreign Patients by Year

  • 60,201
    2009
  • 81,789
    2010
  • 122,297
    2011
  • 159,464
    2012
  • 211,218
    2013
  • 266,501
    2014
  • 296,889
    2015
  • 364,189
    2016
  • 321,574
    2017
  • 378,967
    2018
  • 497,464
    2019
  • 117,789
    2020
  • 145,842
    2021
  • 248,110
    2024
  • 605,768
    2023
  • 1,170,467
    2024
Accumulated number
of patients
3,877,342

Statisics on International Patients in Korea, 2024

Actual no. of patients : No. of patients by hospital except multiple medical treatments and visits

https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr

(Accumulated from 2009 to 2023)

Most Visited Medical Department

  • 18%

    Integrative
    Internal Medicine

  • 12%

    Plastic Surgery

  • 23%

    Dermatology

  • 8%

    Medical
    Checkup Service

  • 4%

    Obstetrics And
    Gynecology

  • 4%

    Orthopedics

  • 3%

    Korean Medicine

  • 3%

    General Surgery

  • 3%

    Dental Clinic

Statisics on International Patients in Korea, 2024

https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr

(Accumulated from 2009 to 2024)

  • KIMA NEWS

    Asan Medical Center makes history in liver transplantation - Seven thousand liver transplantations

    MORE     AMC set a world record of 7,000 liver transplantations as the liver transplantation team successfully performed a living-donor liver transplantation(LDLT) on July 17, 2020. AMC has made history through endless challenges by becoming the world’s first medical institution to perform in modified right lobe LDLT, dual graft LDLT, and ABO-incompatible liver transplantation and Korea’s first to perform pediatric LDLT, ABO-incompatible pediatric LDLT, and simultaneous liver-heart transplantation. Significantly, in January 1999, AMC developed the surgical technique of modified right lobe LDLT for the first time in the world, increasing the number of LDLTs done a year to more than 100 from about 30. The success rate has also significantly improved from 70% to over 95%.

Five-year cancer survival relative rates(2010~2023)

The introduction of cutting-edge medical technology such as robots is not only reducing the mortality rate of major cancer diseases, but also increasing the survival rate.

world map
Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
100.1%
Korea
98.4%
USA
87.8%
UK
Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
93.8%
Korea
91.2%
USA
85.9%
UK
Colon Cancer

Colon Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
74.3%
Korea
65.0%
USA
57.6%
UK
Stomach Cancer

Stomach Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
77.9%
Korea
36.4%
USA
23.9%
UK
Liver Cancer

Liver Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
39.3%
Korea
21.7%
USA
13.5%
UK
Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%
38.5%
Korea
36.7%
USA
21.0%
UK

Reference : Korea Central Cancer Registry, Nationl Cancer Center. Annual report of cancer statistics in Korea in 2021, Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2023

5-year Survival Rate of Organ Transplant Recipents

The success rate of organ transplants, such as liver and kidney transplants, is overwhelmingly high in the world.

Kidney

Kidney transplant

96.05%
Pancreas

Pancreas transplant

92.02%

Liver transplant

79.72%
Heart

Heart transplant

72.92%
Heart

Lung transplant

46.61%

Reference : Korean Network for Organ Sharing(KONOS) Statistical year book 2022, 2023.12

High Ranks on Healthcare Service Infrastructure in OECD Index

Number of
PCT scanners (per 1Million population)

Korea

Units 42.0

28.0

Number of
MRI units (per 1Million population)

Korea

Units 35.0

18.0

Number of
PET scanners (per 1Million population)

Korea

Units 3.0

2.0

Hospital (per 1Million population)

Korea

Units 12.8

4.3

Reference : OECD, 「OECD Indicators: Health at a Glance 2023」, 2023

World's Best Specialized Hospitals 2026

The following KIMA member hospitals were included in the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026, listed in alphabetical order:

Asan Medical Center

Ewha Womans University
– Seoul Hospital

Severance Hospital
– Yonsei University

Hanyang University
– Seoul Hospital

Korea University
– Anam Hospital

National Cancer Center

Samsung Medical Center

 Seoul National University
– Bundang Hospital

Seoul National University Hospital

The Catholic University of Korea
– Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital

Number of Ranked Hospitals of South Korea by Specialty

Cardiac Surgery

4

Cardiology

7

Endocrinology

8

Gastroenterology

8

Neurology

6

Neurosurgery

5

OBGY

5

Oncology

8

Orthopedics

6

Pediatrics

8

Pulmonology

5

Urology

7

https://rankings.newsweek.com/worlds-best-specialized-hospitals-2026

  • KIMA NEWS

    Samsung Medical Center Celebrates 20,000 Robotic Surgeries

    MORE     Samsung Medical Center recently commemorated a significant achievement, having conducted 20,000 robotic surgeries. Since the launch of the Samsung Comprehensive Cancer Center(SCCC) in 2008, the institution has been at the forefront of robotic surgery, experiencing rapid growth each year. In 2023 alone, the center performed over 3,400 robotic surgeries, placing it 9th globally. Notably, Samsung Medical Center ranks 2nd worldwide for prostate cancer surgeries (prostatectomy), 2nd for gastrectomy (stomach cancer), and 3rd for mastectomy (breast cancer).
  • KIMA NEWS

    “The World’s First”: Sequential Success of Thrombectomy Followed by Liver Transplant at Severance Hospital

    MORE     In a groundbreaking first, a patient previously deemed unfit for transplant due to a portal vein blocked by a thrombus (blood clot) has successfully undergone liver transplant surgery following a thrombectomy. This marks the first instance worldwide of such a sequence being successful.
    Professors Lee Jae-keun and Min Eun-ki from the Department of Transplant Surgery at Severance Hospital, along with Professor Han Ki-chang from the Department of Interventional Radiology, announced on the 2nd that the transplant surgery was successfully completed for Mr. Jung Min-soo, 47, a patient with cirrhosis, after removing the thrombus that had obstructed the portal vein necessary for the operation.
  • KIMA NEWS

    Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea successfully celebrates 10,000 hematopoietic stem cell transplants for the first time in Korea and holds symposium

    MORE     On April 14, the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Hematology Hospital (Hospital Director Professor Kim Hee Je) successfully held a commemorative ceremony and symposium at the convention hall at Sungei Orthodontics Omnibus Park to celebrate the achievement of 10,000 cases of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
    After the first successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Korea in 1983, the hematology hospital, which celebrated its 40th anniversary, achieved 10,000 cases of hematopoietic stem cells for the first time in Korea in December last year. In addition, it has been recognized as the “4th hospital for hematologic cancer” by making the first domestic records of various hematopoietic stem cell transplantations and receiving patients for medical treatment for tertiary medical institutions such as other domestic and foreign university hospitals.
CONTACT US

Inquiry