Expat Healthcare Statistics 2026

The international private medical insurance (IPMI) market hit price extremes in 2024: Pacific Prime's report of 100 locations found average premiums for a 36-year-old expat ranged from USD 3,900 in Poland to USD 15,296 in the US, with 99 of 100 locations posting year-on-year increases. The UN counted 304 million international migrants globally in mid-2024, the addressable population for cross-border health coverage. Turkey hosted around 1.5 million health tourists generating roughly USD 3 billion in revenue. The global digital-nomad-specific insurance segment was valued at USD 5.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to nearly quadruple by 2034. This report compiles 13 verified data points from Pacific Prime, Cigna Healthcare, UN DESA, MBO Partners, the OECD/Peterson-KFF tracker, the Turkish Ministry of Trade, and Thailand's TAT for expats, nomads, and long-term travelers in 2026.

Expat healthcare is two markets at once. One is the IPMI sector covering high-mobility professionals on multi-year postings, often paid by employers. The other is the new digital-nomad insurance niche for short-term travelers and remote workers who buy direct, monthly. The numbers below cover both, plus the medical tourism flows that increasingly intersect with expat life.

This post covers global market size, average premiums by region, the US vs OECD cost gap, Schengen visa insurance rules, medical evacuation costs, top medical-tourism destinations by volume, and the rise of nomad-native carriers like SafetyWing and Genki. Every number links to a primary or major-publisher source.

TL;DR: Top 5 headline stats for 2026

US expat individual IPMI premiums averaged USD 15,296 in 2024, nearly double the second-most-expensive market (Hong Kong, USD 8,339) (Pacific Prime Cost of International Health Insurance Report 2024).
99 of 100 locations surveyed by Pacific Prime posted IPMI premium increases in 2024, with the US up roughly 56% year on year (Pacific Prime via BusinessWire, 2024).
The UN counted 304 million international migrants globally in 2024, up from 275 million in 2020 (Migration Policy Institute, UN DESA 2024 data).
The digital nomad insurance segment was valued at USD 5.4 billion in 2024, projected to reach USD 19.4 billion by 2034 at a 14.6% CAGR (Intelevo Research, 2024).
Turkey hosted approximately 1.5 million health tourists in 2024, generating about USD 3 billion in revenue per the Turkish Ministry of Trade (Türkiye Today, 2025).

Why these numbers matter in 2026

Expat health coverage moved from a benefits-package afterthought to a mandatory line item. More than 40 countries now require proof of health insurance for entry or residence, including all 29 Schengen states. Premiums rose almost everywhere in 2024. Out-of-pocket exposure abroad is the single largest financial risk most digital nomads carry. Medical evacuation from a remote location can run six figures with no third-party safety net.

The data below shows three things: premiums are climbing fast, the IPMI market is bifurcating into legacy carriers (Cigna Global, Allianz Care, Bupa Global, Aetna International) and nomad-native carriers (SafetyWing, Genki, Insured Nomads), and host-country medical tourism flows are now large enough that expats routinely become medical tourists in their own countries of residence.

1. US individual IPMI premiums averaged USD 15,296 in 2024

The most expensive expat health insurance market in the world is, by a wide margin, the United States. Pacific Prime's 2024 Cost of International Health Insurance Report analyzed premiums across 100 locations and found that an individual IPMI plan for a 36-year-old in the US averaged USD 15,296 per year, with family plans averaging USD 34,152.

The next four most expensive individual markets were Hong Kong (USD 8,339), Singapore (USD 6,855), Israel (USD 6,317), and China (USD 5,915). The cheapest individual market was Poland at roughly USD 3,900.

The US gap reflects the underlying domestic price of medical services. Carriers like Cigna Global, Allianz Care, and William Russell typically charge a separate uplift for adding the US to the geographic area of cover.

Source: Pacific Prime, Cost of International Health Insurance Report 2024

2. 99 of 100 surveyed locations posted IPMI premium increases in 2024

Pacific Prime's 2024 report found that premiums increased in 99 of the 100 locations it tracks, with the US recording the largest single-market jump at roughly 56% year on year. The only market that did not see an increase was Poland, where premiums grew by about 1%.

Drivers behind the global increase include medical-trend inflation, a post-pandemic rebound in utilization, and consolidation among IPMI insurers. According to Pacific Prime CEO Neil Raymond, "the interplay among consumer behavior, technology, and government policies is creating new paradigms in insurance pricing."

The practical effect for expats and nomads is that "shop your renewal" is no longer optional. Carriers price aggressively for new business and let renewals drift. A plan competitive in 2022 may be priced 30% to 50% above market in 2026 after compounded increases.

Source: Pacific Prime, Cost of International Health Insurance Report 2024

3. 304 million international migrants worldwide in 2024

The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Population Division estimated the global stock of international migrants at 304 million in mid-2024, up from 275 million in 2020 and roughly double the 154 million counted in 1990. That is approximately 3.7% of the world's 8.2 billion people.

If international migrants formed a single country, it would be the fourth most populous in the world, behind India, China, and the United States. The figure is the closest official proxy for the addressable expat population, though it includes labor migrants, refugees, and family-reunification movement alongside professional expatriates and retirees.

For IPMI carriers and nomad insurance startups, the takeaway is structural growth in the underlying customer base regardless of macro cycles.

Source: Migration Policy Institute, Top Statistics on Global Migration (UN DESA 2024 data)

4. Digital nomad insurance market valued at USD 5.4 billion in 2024

The nomad-specific health and travel insurance segment, distinct from broader IPMI, was valued at USD 5.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 19.4 billion by 2034, a 14.6% CAGR over the decade. North America held more than 40% of the segment in 2024; Asia-Pacific is forecast to grow fastest at 16%+ CAGR.

The segment's growth drivers are visa-program mandates (Estonia, Barbados, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, and several others now require insurance proof for digital nomad visas), the structural rise in location-independent work, and the emergence of monthly-subscription pricing that breaks from annual IPMI norms.

Named market leaders in the report include SafetyWing, World Nomads, Allianz Global Assistance, IMG, Cigna Global, and AXA Assistance, with newer entrants like Genki and Insured Nomads gaining share through nomad-native distribution.

Source: Intelevo Research, Digital Nomad Insurance Market, 2024

5. US per capita health spending hit USD 14,775 in 2024, nearly double OECD peers

OECD and Peterson-KFF tracker analysis put US per capita health consumption expenditure at USD 14,775 in 2024, while comparable high-income peer countries averaged USD 7,860 per person, roughly half the US level. US spending rose 6.4% year on year, a smaller jump than Netherlands (10.8%), Germany (10.1%), Austria (9.1%), or Belgium (8.0%).

The figure matters for expats deciding whether to retain US-based coverage when living abroad. For most non-US-citizen expats, dropping US cover from an IPMI plan reduces premiums by 30% to 60%. For US citizens planning to repatriate, ACA marketplace plans require US residency, and coverage gaps create pre-existing condition exposure under some employer plans.

The cost differential also drives medical tourism: Turkey, Thailand, and Mexico advertise procedure prices 50-70% below US levels at JCI-accredited facilities.

Source: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, US vs OECD peers, 2024

6. Cigna's 2024 International Health Global Study surveyed over 10,000 people in 11 markets

Cigna Healthcare's International Health Global Study 2024 collected responses from more than 10,000 adults across 11 markets between May 9 and May 27, 2024. The surveyed markets included Hong Kong, the US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Kenya, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.

Headline findings: 85% of respondents reported working more than 40 hours per week, only 28% felt they had freedom to choose when and where they worked, and just 42% felt their manager understood their mental health needs. Job satisfaction averaged 48%, below the global benchmark.

The "expat" subset within Cigna's research consistently shows higher work hours and lower social-support scores than non-expat peers in the same markets, making the study one of the few large-sample annual reads on the international worker population.

Source: Cigna Healthcare, International Health Global Study 2024

7. InterNations Expat Insider 2024 covered 12,500+ expats across 174 countries

The InterNations Expat Insider 2024 survey, the largest annual expat satisfaction study, collected responses from more than 12,500 expats living across 174 countries or territories, with 53 destinations receiving sufficient response volume (75+ respondents) to be ranked.

In the healthcare component, South Korea ranked first for healthcare quality, with Spain consistently in the top tier for expat-rated healthcare access and affordability. Kuwait ranked last (53rd) for the seventh time in eleven surveys, with healthcare dissatisfaction cited as a principal cause. Indonesia, despite a strong overall third-place finish, drew below-average healthcare scores.

For nomads choosing a base city, healthcare satisfaction tends to cluster around the same leaders (Spain, Portugal, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea) and the same laggards (Kuwait, parts of the Gulf, parts of Southeast Asia) year over year.

Source: InterNations Expat Insider 2024 (via Relocate Magazine)

8. Schengen visa applicants must show at least EUR 30,000 in medical coverage

EU regulations require every short-stay Schengen visa applicant to present travel medical insurance with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000, covering emergency medical care, hospitalization, and repatriation of remains for the full duration of stay across all Schengen member states.

The requirement is one of the most-checked compliance items at consular interview stage. More than 40 countries globally now require some form of health insurance proof for entry or residence, with the EUR 30,000 Schengen minimum being the most widely cited international benchmark.

For nomads, EUR 30,000 is far below realistic exposure for serious incidents. A multi-day ICU stay in a private Spanish hospital can exceed EUR 50,000; medical evacuation can exceed USD 250,000 (see stat 9). The Schengen minimum is a floor, not a ceiling.

Source: European Commission, Short-stay visa application rules

9. International medical evacuations can exceed USD 250,000 per incident

According to CDC guidance cited by travel-insurance aggregator Squaremouth, international medical evacuations can exceed USD 250,000 in severe cases. A domestic emergency helicopter transport in the US averages around USD 40,000. An air ambulance from the Canary Islands to the UK can exceed GBP 67,000.

Most standard domestic health insurance policies do not cover international evacuation. Even within IPMI, evacuation and repatriation are often a separately priced module. Carriers like IMG offer up to USD 2,000,000 in evacuation coverage at the high end; standard digital nomad policies typically include USD 100,000 to USD 500,000.

High-cost cases tend to involve ICU-configured fixed-wing aircraft and difficult origin geographies (remote islands, conflict zones, low-resource medical infrastructure). Nomads spending time in Indonesia, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, or Pacific islands carry materially higher tail risk than nomads in Western Europe.

Source: Squaremouth, Medical Evacuation Insurance, citing CDC

10. Turkey hosted approximately 1.5 million health tourists in 2024

Turkey's Ministry of Trade reported that approximately 1.5 million international health tourists visited Türkiye in 2024, generating around USD 3 billion in health-tourism revenue. The number of international health tourists has grown sixfold since 2012. Health tourism exports grew approximately fourfold over the same period.

The most-demanded services were hair transplants, plastic surgery, dental treatments, and orthopedic procedures. Top source countries included Germany, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Libya. Turkey held more than 60 JCI-accredited facilities by 2024.

Published price differentials versus the US and Western Europe are 50% to 70% on most procedures, even after airfare and lodging. Many digital nomads use Turkey for dental work specifically while based elsewhere in Europe.

Source: Türkiye Today, 1.5M health tourists visited Türkiye in 2024

11. Thailand targeted 580,000 medical tourists and 125 billion baht in 2025

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projected that Thailand's health tourism market would generate approximately 125 billion baht from around 580,000 medical tourists in 2025, with medical tourists representing about 1.74% of total international arrivals. Medical tourists spend roughly 107,662 baht per trip, about 102% more than the average general tourist.

TAT's targeting strategy focuses on Middle Eastern markets (Qatar, Oman, Kuwait), neighboring Cambodia, and South Asia (Bangladesh). Thailand operates approximately 61 JCI-accredited hospitals, second only to a handful of high-end Asian healthcare markets. Procedure pricing typically runs 30% to 70% below Western levels.

For expats living in Thailand on long-stay visas, the Thai private hospital ecosystem also handles day-to-day care: Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital, and Samitivej dominate IPMI provider networks.

Source: Nation Thailand, TAT medical tourism revenue target

12. US digital nomads reached 18.5 million in 2025

MBO Partners' annual State of Independence, Digital Nomads report estimated 18.5 million Americans identified as digital nomads in 2025, equivalent to 12% of the US workforce. The figure represented a 2.2% year-on-year increase and 153% growth versus 2019 baseline.

The 2025 total split into 11.2 million traditional employees working remotely (up 10% from 2024) and 7.3 million independent workers (down 7% from 2024). Despite return-to-office mandates, the traditional-employee nomad segment kept growing on talent-retention concessions and the rise of remote-native Gen Z.

For health insurance, more than 10 million US nomads need cross-border coverage that US group health and ACA marketplace plans do not provide. This is the addressable market for SafetyWing, Genki, Cigna Global, and similar carriers.

Source: MBO Partners, State of Independence: Digital Nomads

13. Genki covers more than 75,000 nomads across 195 countries

Berlin-based Genki, founded in 2021, reports more than 75,000 members covered across 195 countries as of 2025. The carrier offers two products, Genki Traveler (short-term travel medical) and Genki Native (long-term international health), with monthly subscription pricing starting around USD 56 per month for entry tiers.

Genki illustrates the broader shift: nomad-native carriers built on monthly billing and digital-first claims have taken meaningful share from legacy IPMI carriers that still default to annual underwriting cycles. SafetyWing, the segment leader, transitioned to operating as its own insurance carrier in 2024 and partnered with Allianz Partners in 2025 to extend distribution. SafetyWing's average reimbursement time fell to roughly 2.7 days.

For nomads on Portugal D8, Spain DNV, Greece DNV, and similar visas, nomad-native carriers now meet the formal insurance requirement at a fraction of legacy IPMI pricing.

Source: Genki, Health Insurance for Digital Nomads

What these numbers tell us

Taken together, the data shows three converging trends. IPMI is structurally expensive and getting more so: 99 of 100 markets posted increases in 2024, and the US gap has widened to roughly 2x the next-most-expensive market. The addressable population is enormous and growing: 304 million international migrants and 18.5 million US digital nomads alone create demand that legacy IPMI cannot serve at price points individuals will accept. Medical tourism is reshaping how expats consume care: 1.5 million health tourists to Turkey, 580,000 projected to Thailand in 2025, and 50-70% price differentials make planned procedures abroad a default option, not an exception.

For 2026 coverage planning, the practical implications are concrete. Drop the US from the area of cover unless you genuinely need it; savings are usually 30% to 60%. Verify evacuation cover separately, since headline numbers often hide sub-limits. Read the visa insurance requirement carefully: Schengen DNVs, Spain DNV, Portugal D8, and Greece DNV all carry slightly different specs.

The next two years will see nomad-native carriers continue taking IPMI share at the individual end of the market, while legacy carriers consolidate on the corporate end. Pricing pressure from the nomad segment will likely force legacy IPMI carriers to introduce monthly billing and digital-first claims by 2027.

The expat healthcare market in 2026 is not one market but three: corporate IPMI for employer-sponsored mobility, nomad-native monthly insurance for independent workers, and host-country private hospitals that serve both as primary care and as medical-tourism destinations.

How Nomad helps you navigate this landscape

For digital nomads tracking days across multiple countries, two healthcare-related compliance questions come up constantly: does my current visa still require proof of insurance, and how many more days can I stay before triggering tax residency that would change my private health insurance underwriting? Nomad (the visa compliance app for digital nomads) surfaces both.

The app tracks days automatically across every country you visit, flags Schengen and 183-day approaches before they happen, and provides a verified visa database for 195+ countries so you know which destinations require insurance proof at entry. See our Tax Residency Statistics for Expats 2026 and the 183-day rule explainer for how day tracking interacts with tax residency.

Download Nomad on the App Store →

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does expat health insurance cost in 2026?

Average international private medical insurance (IPMI) premiums in 2024 ranged from approximately USD 3,900 per year for an individual in Poland to USD 15,296 in the US, according to Pacific Prime's report across 100 locations. Family plans ranged from USD 10,710 in Poland to USD 34,152 in the US. Premiums depend primarily on country of cover, age band, and whether the United States is included in the geographic area. Nomad-native carriers like SafetyWing and Genki price separately on monthly subscription models starting around USD 50-80 per month for entry tiers.

How big is the expat health insurance market?

The international private medical insurance (IPMI) market is part of a broader global health insurance sector that Precedence Research valued at USD 2.69 trillion in 2025. The narrower digital-nomad-specific insurance segment was valued at USD 5.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 19.4 billion by 2034 at a 14.6% CAGR, according to Intelevo Research. The addressable population is large: the UN counted 304 million international migrants globally in 2024.

Which country has the most expensive expat health insurance?

The United States is by far the most expensive market for expat IPMI. Pacific Prime's 2024 report put average individual premiums in the US at USD 15,296 per year, nearly double the second-place market (Hong Kong, USD 8,339). The premium gap reflects US domestic healthcare prices, which OECD data put at USD 14,775 per capita in 2024, roughly twice the average of comparable high-income countries. Most expat plans charge a separate uplift to add the US to the geographic area of cover.

How many medical tourists do Turkey and Thailand receive?

Turkey hosted approximately 1.5 million international health tourists in 2024, generating around USD 3 billion in revenue per the Turkish Ministry of Trade. Thailand projected 580,000 medical tourists and 125 billion baht in revenue for 2025, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand targeting Middle Eastern, Cambodian, and South Asian source markets. Both countries hold 60+ JCI-accredited hospitals and price major procedures 30% to 70% below US and Western European levels.

Where do these expat healthcare statistics come from?

Primary sources: Pacific Prime's Cost of International Health Insurance Report 2024 (premium data across 100 locations), Cigna Healthcare's International Health Global Study 2024 (10,000+ respondents in 11 markets), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (international migrant stock), the OECD and Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker (per-capita health spending), the Turkish Ministry of Trade and Tourism Authority of Thailand (medical tourism), MBO Partners' State of Independence report (US digital nomads), Intelevo Research (nomad insurance market sizing), and InterNations Expat Insider 2024 (healthcare satisfaction).

Sources

Every stat links inline. Primary sources used:

About Nomad

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