Newsweek and Statista assess more than 25,000 healthcare facilities worldwide, with hospitals in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah featured across nine medical specialties.

Al-Rehla – Special Report

The newly released World's Best Hospitals & Clinics for Medical Tourism 2027 rankings, developed by American magazine Newsweek in collaboration with data research company Statista, feature 295 hospitals and clinics across 13 countries, highlighting growing international competition to attract patients seeking medical treatment abroad.

The rankings include 1,025 specialty-specific listings across nine medical fields, following an assessment of more than 25,000 healthcare facilities worldwide. The number of listings exceeds the number of institutions because some hospitals appear in multiple specialties.
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Saudi Arabia: Strong Presence in Specialised Medical Care
Saudi institutions featured in the rankings include King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Medical City under the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, King Fahad Medical City, and Saudi German Hospital Aseer.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital was listed in the breast cancer category, while King Abdulaziz Medical City appeared in specialties including ophthalmology and orthopaedics.

King Fahad Medical City was also recognised in orthopaedic surgery, while Saudi German Hospital Aseer featured in ophthalmology.
Dallah Health also announced on November 4, 2026, that Dallah Al Nakheel Hospital in Riyadh had been included in the rankings, following its achievement of specialised medical tourism accreditation in 2024.

UAE: Specialised Hospitals in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah
The UAE's presence was highlighted by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in cardiac care and surgery, alongside several hospitals operated by Burjeel Holdings.

The group announced that four of its facilities were included in the rankings: Burjeel Medical City in orthopaedics, Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi in ophthalmology, Burjeel Royal Hospital Al Ain in cardiac care, and Burjeel Specialty Hospital Sharjah in cardiac care and orthopaedics.
According to the group's announcement, nine institutions from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi featured in the rankings, including three Burjeel facilities.

Competition Extends Across Asia, Europe, and the Americas
The rankings extend well beyond the Gulf region, featuring medical institutions in South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Türkiye, alongside Japan, Germany, Spain, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil.
The nine specialties covered include bariatric surgery, cardiology and cardiac surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, breast and prostate cancer treatment, breast augmentation, liposuction, and rhinoplasty.

How Were the Hospitals Selected?

The assessment was based on five key components: recommendations from medical professionals and medical tourism facilitators, professional accreditations and certifications, patient experiences, services provided to international patients, and a specialised survey conducted by Statista.

The rankings do not represent a single overall ranking of hospitals across all medical specialties. Instead, they provide separate lists according to specific fields of treatment.

Al-Rehla Perspective | International Recognition Alone Does Not Measure Medical Tourism Performance

The rankings provide an indication of healthcare institutions receiving international recognition in specialised medical fields, offering travellers a starting point when researching treatment options abroad.
However, inclusion in the rankings does not, by itself, demonstrate an increase in international patient arrivals or higher revenues generated by medical tourism. To measure the actual economic impact in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, further data is needed on inbound international patients, their countries of origin, average length of stay, and spending on medical treatment and
related services.

For patients considering treatment abroad, choosing a hospital should ultimately depend on the suitability of its medical expertise, documented treatment outcomes, costs, accreditation, and follow-up services, rather than rankings alone.


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