China is increasingly attracting foreign patients seeking advanced medical treatments, particularly for complex oncology and cell therapies like CAR-T, a form of immunotherapy for blood cancers. This trend is driven by scientific breakthroughs, more affordable prices, and better availability compared to Western countries. For instance, CAR-T therapy can cost over $500,000 in Europe or the United States, while in China, the base treatment cost ranges from $30,000 to $80,000, with total costs for a full course of treatment typically between $45,000 and $120,000. Some estimates suggest the total cost in China could be as low as one-tenth of the price in the US, where the drug alone can exceed $370,000 before hospitalization.
Patients from countries like New Zealand and Australia are traveling to China for treatments unavailable or prohibitively expensive at home. Emma Holden, a New Zealander with myeloma, found success with CAR-T therapy in Shanghai after exhausting options in her home country, with the treatment bringing her cancer under control in October 2025. Similarly, an Australian doctor, Amanda Harvey, paid approximately $70,000 for CAR-T therapy in Shanghai, a treatment that would have cost over $1 million in the USA. The lower costs are attributed to factors like domestic manufacturing, a burgeoning biotech industry, and policies that reduce the price of innovative medicines.
Chinese hospitals have seen a significant increase in foreign patient numbers, with 1.28 million international patients treated in major hospitals in 2025, a 73.6% increase from three years prior. While this represents a growing trend, medical tourism in China remains a niche market, accounting for only about 1.3% of the global medical tourism market, which was valued at $38.2 billion in 2025. Experts like Cui Cui from Jefferies note China's key advantage lies in complex oncology and advanced therapeutics, rather than direct competition with neighbors specializing in cosmetic procedures.
Despite the growing interest, analysts suggest that China's medical tourism market is still in its early stages. To further expand, it would need improvements such as a dedicated medical visa system, stronger international insurance partnerships, readily available multilingual services, and better cross-border follow-up practices. Providers like Raffles Medical Group's hospitals in China served nearly 37,000 international patients from 130 countries in 2025, demonstrating an upward trajectory in attracting global patients seeking cutting-edge and cost-effective medical solutions.
China currently leads the world in the number of CAR-T clinical trials and has seven approved commercial CAR-T products, matching the United States. The availability of these advanced treatments, coupled with shorter waiting times due to lower demand from local patients (as therapies are often not covered by China's insurance system), makes China an attractive option. The country's medical tourism sector is projected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2025 to $3.4 billion by 2035.
