The Burrow
Aug 8, 2025
The cost of getting cosmetic surgery abroad can often be lower than getting procedures done domestically. This, combined with a broad range of specialist doctors often being based in other countries, has led to a spike in medical tourism for people looking to change their appearance.
While cosmetic tourism may be appealing to some due to lower prices, it’s important to ensure you’re getting medical procedures done by a trustworthy source, as many doctors providing plastic surgery for low costs may not have the appropriate expertise. As Australian private health insurance comparison experts, we see the benefits of receiving medical treatment from local medical professionals that are proven to be reliable, credible and safe in accordance with Australian health standards.
To encourage safe medical practises while also showcasing global healthcare trends, we’ve ranked the best destinations for medical procedures and cosmetic surgery around the world. Our plastic surgery rankings consider factors like healthcare quality, medical tourism numbers, interest in various procedures, and more. Read on to find out the best countries for medical tourism, according to our data.
Our rankings assigned each country a score from 0 to 100 based on its interest in cosmetic surgery procedures, as well as how accessible these procedures are to residents and tourists. These are the top ten destinations for medical tourism according to our index:
With the best score in our healthcare index, the Netherlands tops our rankings of the medical tourism destinations with an overall score of 48.37 out of 100. The country has a strong healthcare index score (79.3 out of 100) and one of the highest numbers of procedures performed by population (16.6 per 100k residents).
Although Thailand has developed a reputation for cosmetic tourism, its search volume and number of procedures would initially suggest otherwise. Thailand saw quite a low number of searches per 100k residents for various cosmetic surgeries each year, while just 3 procedures take place on average out of the same sample size. However, with 2.5 million medical tourists each year and a healthcare score of 77.5, it still finishes in second with 46.25 out of 100.
With the second-highest score for cosmetic procedure search volume in our data, the UAE has been emerging as a new hotspot for plastic surgery tourism. On average, 350,000 visitors are attracted each year for cosmetic procedures, with 12.2 surgeries taking place per 100k people. These add up to give it an overall index score of 45.52.
Leading the charge in search volume for cosmetic procedures is Singapore, which has a search volume score of 76.5. Around 450,000 people visit for cosmetic surgery annually, but its healthcare index of 71.9 is middling compared to other countries that land in our top ten. Its overall score of 42.93 places it high in our medical tourism ranking.
Belgium’s relatively high healthcare index score of 75.6, as well as its high number of procedures performed (20.7 per 100k people), gives it an overall rating of 42.07 on our medical tourism index, which sees it round out our top five. Although it only sees 30k medical tourists each year, its high-quality surgeries and high acceptance of procedures make it an underrated choice of destination.
The United States scores reasonably well across the board, with the fourth-highest search volume score for cosmetic procedures, the fourth-most medical tourists each year (1 million), and 12 procedures performed per 100k people. However, its lower healthcare index score of 68 stops it from placing higher. Instead, the United States settles for a sixth-place finish with a 41.93-point rating overall.
Taiwan has the highest healthcare index score in our data, earning a massive rating of 86.4. Around 400,000 tourists already visit Taiwan for cosmetic procedures each year, although only 1.3 procedures are performed per 100k residents. This gives the country a medical tourism index rating of 41.08 in total, finishing in seventh place.
Out of all the countries we ranked, Switzerland has the second-most procedures per 100k people, with 25.9. This, combined with the fact that it receives only 5,000 visitors for cosmetic surgery per year, suggests it could be an untapped market for people looking for easy access to a procedure. However, its healthcare index score of 71.7 is close to the average of our list. Switzerland’s final index score of 41.00 earns it an eighth-place finish.
With a search volume score of 59.23, the United Kingdom has the highest search volume score for plastic surgery in all of Europe. Its healthcare index score of 73.2 is also in the top ten, but cosmetic surgery typically isn’t provided by the country’s National Health Service. Just 34,000 people visit the UK for cosmetic tourism each year, but with 10.4 procedures performed per 100k Brits, it earns a final score of 40.99 in our rankings.
Finishing off our top ten is Malaysia, yet another Asian country to appear in our rankings, suggesting a high level of cosmetic surgery interest in the area. Malaysia has a relatively low healthcare index score of 68.9, but it has a search volume score on the higher end of the scale, with 1.2 million tourists arriving for cosmetic surgery annually. Its final score of 38.16 overall puts it just ahead of France to finish in tenth.
The country at the bottom of our rankings for plastic surgery tourism is Poland, which scores just 2.65 out of 100 in our overall index. Although 100,000 people visit the country for their procedures each year, only 1.5 procedures are performed per 100k residents, and its healthcare index score of 57.7 is the second-lowest of any country we ranked.
Australia finishes in a respectable 12th place, scoring 37.41 in our medical tourism index. Although it only sees 15k medical tourists each year, its average search volume score of 46.88 is the fifth highest in our rankings. Approximately 10.1 procedures take place in Australia per 100k people, and its healthcare index score of 73.1 is above the average in our data.
While cosmetic surgery can be tempting, especially when provided at a reasonable cost, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and do plenty of research before committing to a procedure.
Steven Spicer, Executive General Manager of Health at Compare the Market AU says:
“We all want to look our best, and cosmetic procedures can certainly help, but botched surgery is a great risk when being treated by an unscrupulous doctor and it can be more difficult to understand different medical standards outside of your home country.
“In Australia, medical professionals are held to strict registration and quality standards, so working with a local doctor can give you greater peace of mind that your procedure will be safe and in line with Australian health standards. And, with a private health insurance policy, you also can have the convenience of choosing your preferred available doctor, suitable hospital and avoid long waiting periods.
“In the case of cosmetic procedures, some that are popular for medical tourism can be covered by health insurance policies where they are considered medically necessary, so it’s always worth checking with your health fund on what you might be covered for and otherwise comparing to look for a policy that suits your individual needs.”
To view similar research that we conducted in 2024, click here.
This dataset ranks 29 countries, based on how well they score for their accessibility and popularity as cosmetic surgery destinations. To do this, 4 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised to provide each with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then summed and multiplied to give each country a total score out of 100. The countries were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors and the weighting applied to them were as follows:
Population values were taken from World Population Review.
The factors were all indexed so that higher numbers equate to better performance.
All data is correct as of 16/07/2025. The ranking data shown in a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.