Medical travel is an industry where the same statistic appears in a dozen places with no origin and no definition. This page sets out how we handle data, so you can judge ours.
Sources
We prefer, in order: national health and tourism ministries and statistical agencies; regulators and accreditation bodies; audited company reports; peer-reviewed research; industry bodies with published methodology; and our own surveys. We name the source and publication date for every figure.
Definitions
“Medical tourist” is defined differently in almost every country, and figures are frequently not comparable. Where we compare across countries, we state each source’s definition and flag the incompatibility rather than silently converting.
Conflicting figures
We publish the range, name each source, and explain why they differ. We do not average incompatible numbers to produce a tidier one.
Currency, dates and inflation
Currency conversions state the rate and date used. Prices state when they were collected, under our fact-checking policy. Historical figures are not adjusted for inflation unless stated.
Limitations
Every data story carries a limitations section stating what the data cannot support. Where a figure is an estimate, we say so and by whom it was estimated.
Updates and revisions
Datasets carry a data period and a last-updated date. Where a source revises its figures, we update and note the revision.
Downloads and reuse
Where practical we publish underlying data as a downloadable file so readers can check our working. Reuse is governed by our republishing policy; please credit us as set out in how to cite.
Data partnerships
Where data is supplied by or produced with an outside organisation, the relationship is disclosed here and on our transparency page.
Corrections to data
Errors in data are corrected under our corrections policy and recorded in the corrections log. Rankings built on this data follow our ranking methodology.