Cosmetic surgery tourism statistics
Turkey performs more cosmetic surgery on foreign patients than any other country, an estimated 329,000 operations a year, mostly on patients from Germany, the UK and the US. The full picture by country, what they travel for, and where they come from, from the 2024 ISAPS survey of surgeons worldwide.
Cosmetic surgery has become one of the most common reasons people travel abroad for treatment, and Turkey sits at the centre of it. To see where that travel actually concentrates, we combined two figures from the ISAPS 2024 survey: how many cosmetic procedures each country performs, and what share of them are done on patients who came from another country. Together they show the scale of cosmetic-surgery tourism in a way that neither number does on its own.
By that combined measure, Turkey performs more cosmetic operations on foreign patients than any other country in the survey, an estimated 329,000 a year. That reflects strong demand and a well-known reputation as a destination. It is not a measure of how those operations turn out, and the great majority of patients travel and return without incident.
Estimated cosmetic procedures on foreign patients, per year
Countries ISAPS reports both a procedure total and a foreign-patient share for.
Turkey performs an estimated 329,000 cosmetic operations a year on patients who travelled from abroad, more than any other country, just ahead of Mexico at about 303,000. Brazil does the most cosmetic surgery of any country overall, yet ranks lower here because most of its patients are domestic, total market size and tourism volume are not the same thing.
Most common cosmetic procedures in Turkey
The procedures Turkey performs most, on all patients, foreign and domestic. ISAPS 2024 survey.
The most common cosmetic operations in Turkey are rhinoplasty at about 61,000 a year, eyelid surgery at 60,000 and liposuction at 53,000. Non-surgical treatments run far higher, led by Botox at about 260,000 and fillers at 161,000. Turkey performs roughly 1.1 million cosmetic procedures in all, the world’s eighth-highest total.
Where each country’s patients travel from
The share of cosmetic patients arriving from abroad, and the countries they most often travel from. 2024.
| Destination | From abroad | Patients most often travel from |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | 29.6% | Germany · UK · US |
| Mexico | 23.4% | US · Canada · Colombia |
| Brazil | 8.2% | US · Portugal · Italy |
| Germany | 9.7% | Switzerland · Austria · Türkiye |
| India | 7.7% | US · Australia · UK |
| Italy | 6.9% | Switzerland · France · UK |
| Japan | 5.4% | China · South Korea · Chinese Taipei |
| France | 6.4% | Algeria · UK · Switzerland |
| Chinese Taipei | 7.7% | Hong Kong · China · US |
Turkey draws its foreign cosmetic patients mainly from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and has one of the highest foreign shares of any large destination at 29.6%. Others pull from their own regions: Mexico from the United States and Canada, Germany from its German-speaking neighbours, Japan from elsewhere in East Asia. If you travelled for treatment and are now dealing with a problem back home, our guide to cosmetic surgery malpractice in Turkey explains what your options are.
What these numbers mean, and what they don’t
Every figure here is an estimate. ISAPS builds its totals from a worldwide survey of surgeons rather than a headcount, and the foreign-patient share is an average across those surgeons. We multiply the two to estimate foreign procedures per country. That keeps the comparison fair, because every country is measured the same way, but the exact numbers should be read as careful estimates, not precise counts.
A high volume reflects demand and reputation, not safety or outcomes. It says nothing about how any individual operation goes, and the great majority of procedures are completed without serious problems. The United States is left out of the ranking because it did not report a foreign-patient share.
Common questions
How many people travel to Turkey for cosmetic surgery?
An estimated 329,000 cosmetic operations a year in Turkey are performed on patients who travelled from abroad, more than any other country in the ISAPS 2024 data. Across all treatment types, Turkey received around 1.5 million health tourists in 2024.
Which countries do Turkey's cosmetic-surgery patients come from?
According to the ISAPS 2024 survey, they most often travel from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
What cosmetic procedures does Turkey do most?
The most common cosmetic operations in Turkey are rhinoplasty at about 61,000 a year, eyelid surgery and liposuction, according to the ISAPS 2024 survey, while Botox and fillers lead non-surgical treatments. Turkey performs roughly 1.1 million cosmetic procedures a year in total.
Is Turkey the biggest cosmetic-surgery tourism destination?
By estimated volume of procedures performed on foreign patients, yes, just ahead of Mexico. A few smaller countries have a higher share of foreign patients, but a lower total number.
Are these numbers exact?
No. They are estimates derived from the ISAPS 2024 survey of surgeons, combining each country's procedure total with its reported share of foreign patients. Every country is measured the same way, so the comparison is fair, but the figures are best read as careful estimates.