A lot of numbers get repeated about medical tourism in Mexico, and few of them say where they come from. In this article we've gathered what is actually documented in primary sources, mainly the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): where US patients travel, which treatments they look for, who travels and which risks concern them. At the end, we look at what it means for a Mexican clinic that wants to serve international patients. When a figure has no solid source, we say so.
How big is medical tourism in Mexico?
The honest answer is that nobody has an exact figure. Patients who drive across the border aren't recorded the way air travelers are, and every report defines "medical tourist" differently. What is documented: according to the CDC, surveillance data indicate that millions of US residents travel internationally for medical care each year, and Mexico is one of the most common destinations (CDC Yellow Book, "Medical Tourism", 2025). Those millions cover all destinations, not only Mexico. Be wary of any article that gives you an exact number of patients in Mexico without telling you where it comes from.
Mexico, the most common destination in a CDC study
The most concrete data point comes from a CDC study of its 2016 BRFSS health survey in 11 US states and territories. Of 93,492 respondents, 517 (0.55%) said they had traveled abroad for care in the previous year. Mexico was the most common destination, with 41% of trips, and dentistry made up 55% of treatments (Stoney et al., Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2021). It has limits: the data are from 2016 and from 11 jurisdictions, not the whole country. Even so, it is one of the few population-based measurements available, and it matches what the CDC says in its travel guidance.
Why patients choose Mexico
The CDC gives several reasons people travel for care: to find less expensive procedures, or treatments they can't get where they live. Costs are usually paid out of pocket (CDC Yellow Book). For dental care the reason is even clearer. According to the CDC, it is the most common form of medical tourism among US residents, partly because dental care in the US keeps getting more expensive and a substantial share of people have no dental insurance or are underinsured. For Mexico, add proximity, since many US cities are a drive or a short flight away, and language and culture: the CDC notes that some patients look for a doctor who shares their culture or language. Savings vary widely by treatment and clinic. No single percentage fits every case.
The treatments patients look for
The CDC lists cosmetic surgery, dental care, cancer treatment, fertility treatment and organ transplantation among the categories US patients pursue abroad. Dentistry comes first in the available data, and comparisons like dental implants in Mexico vs. the US are a common starting point for patients. In practice, Mexico also sees strong demand for bariatric surgery and orthopedics. That is a market observation, not a measured figure, so validate it for your specialty with English search data before you invest.
Who travels for care
The CDC study found that the prevalence of medical tourism was higher among Hispanic and non-white respondents, and among people without current health insurance (Stoney et al., 2021). That matches what clinics see: Mexican-Americans who combine family visits with care they trust, sometimes booking for their parents too, and uninsured or high-deductible patients for whom paying in Mexico is a reasonable choice. Add Canadians who want treatment sooner than their public system offers, and foreigners who already live in Mexico and need ongoing care in English. Each group researches, pays and books differently.
The destinations and the patients each one attracts
There is no reliable public data ranking Mexican cities by patient volume, so this is a general description, not a ranking. Tijuana, right next to San Diego, sees many patients who drive across, even for short visits. Los Algodones, next to Yuma, Arizona, is known for its concentration of dental offices a short walk from the border. Cancún has direct flights from many US and Canadian cities. Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara offer private hospitals and specialists; Monterrey is also close to Texas, and Guadalajara has a large expat community around Lake Chapala. For your clinic, the kind of patient you want to attract matters more than the city.
What worries patients: risks and complications
This part is usually left out, and it shouldn't be. In the CDC study, 5% of medical tourists reported complications from care received abroad, and 67% sought care after returning to the US (Stoney et al., 2021). The CDC's travel guidance documents infectious disease outbreaks among patients treated abroad, including some in Mexico. It also advises patients to check the facility's accreditation and the doctor's credentials, ask for their medical records in English, agree on a plan for complications before they travel, and understand that they may not have the same legal recourse as at home (CDC Yellow Book). Your future patients read this. A clinic that publishes its credentials, protocols and follow-up plan answers them before they ask.
Trends worth watching in 2026
There are no solid measurements for these trends; they are market observations worth keeping an eye on. GLP-1 medications have changed the conversation about weight loss and will likely affect demand for bariatric surgery and for procedures after major weight loss, though it's too early to say in which direction. Video pre-consultations: more patients expect to talk to the doctor before buying a flight, and offering this in an organized way, in English, builds trust. AI search: some patients already ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews whether it's safe to get treated in a given city, and those answers draw on clear, verifiable content. A clinic with English pages that answer with sources has a better chance of being cited.
What this means for your clinic
The data point the same way. A US patient traveling to Mexico does a lot of research, pays out of pocket and wants evidence that a qualified professional will treat them. A translated brochure isn't enough to compete. You need English pages that answer questions about cost, safety and logistics, reviews patients can read, timely WhatsApp replies, and advertising that complies with COFEPRIS and with Google and Meta policies. We explain this in detail in medical tourism marketing for clinics in Mexico, and step by step in how to attract international patients.
Where to start
If you want to know whether international patients make sense for your specialty and your city, book a free call with The Clinical Marketing. We review your website, your Google profile and your WhatsApp intake from the point of view of a patient in the US or Canada, and tell you what's missing and in what order we'd fix it. Sometimes the answer is to start with local patients, and we'll tell you that too.
