We would like to draw your attention to the one of the most dynamic outbound medical tourism markets - Kazakhstan. And why you should be there to build relationships. Thousands of Kazakh clients travel abroad each year for advanced treatment, rehabilitation, and wellness programs. Depending on the source and methodology, tens of thousands to over 100,000 Kazakhstanis seek care abroad annually, spending ~US $0.9 – 1.0 billion a year  —  primarily in Türkiye, South Korea, Russia, Germany, Israel and India. Growth accelerated post-pandemic.

Key insights

• Market size (patients):

  • 2020: 18,678 KZ residents traveled abroad for treatment → 2021: 55,016 (≈3× increase, official audit committee briefing).

  • 2023 research estimate: ~114,000 outbound Kazakh medical travelers.

  • Kazakhstan’s Medical Tourism Association cites 40,000–50,000 per year (unofficial; up to 60,000).

• Market size (spend):

  • US $948.1 million in 2023 (research estimate). That implies an average spend ≈ US $8,317 per patient (US$948.1m/114k).

• Payer mix:

  • State-funded referrals are a small fraction (hundreds per year). Example: “more than 350 Kazakhstanis treated abroad at state expense” reported in 2024; budget lines in 2019–2023 confirm limited volumes. Most outbound care is self-pay.

•  Türkiye: high capacity, competitive pricing; US$2.3 bn health-tourism revenue in 2023 — Kazakh patients are a visible cohort for oncology, orthopedics, bariatrics, IVF, dentistry.

• South Korea: oncology, advanced diagnostics, rehab & spine; KZ routinely ranks among top Central Asian sources. In 2020, 61% of Central Asian patients to Korea were from Kazakhstan; in 2022, KZ comprised 63.3% of Central Asian patients (KHIDI-based analyses). Korea hosted ~606k foreign patients in 2023 and ~1.17 m in 2024 overall.

• Russia/Uzbekistan (proximity) and Germany/Israel/India (complex oncology, cardiology, IVF).

• High-demand specialties (outbound): oncology (surgery, radiotherapy, proton therapy), cardiology/cardiac surgery, orthopedics/spine, IVF, complex diagnostics & second opinions; also dental and check-ups for mid-income travelers. (Corroborated by destination service mix and KZ association commentary.)

• South Korea — technology-led oncology/spine/rehab; KZ is the majority of Central Asian patients to Korea; Korea’s overall foreign-patient volume hit ~606k (2023) and ~1.17 m (2024), underscoring capacity to absorb KZ demand.
• Russia/Uzbekistan — proximity & Russian-language continuity; used for diagnostics, rehab, dental. Germany/Israel/India — complex oncology/cardiac, second opinions.

*VAT deductable for abroad companies