Q4 2026 medical facility openings & closures
A quarterly summary of medical facility openings across Korea, compiled from HIRA public data (collected Oct 5, 2026). Tables and figures may be quoted freely with attribution.
Summary
- 2,511 medical facilities (excluding pharmacies) opened during Q4 2025โQ3 2026, 13.5% fewer than the previous year.
- Dermatology saw the most openings by specialty (594).
- Seoul had the most openings by region (881).
- The fastest-growing specialty for openings was Dental (+2.3% year over year).
Openings by quarter
Based on the opening dates of facilities currently operating. Facilities that opened and closed within the period are not included; pharmacies are excluded because opening dates are unavailable.
| Quarter | Clinics | Dental | Korean medicine | Hospitals | Public health | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2024 | 417 | 116 | 113 | 17 | 1 | 664 |
| Q1 2025 | 460 | 99 | 109 | 9 | 1 | 678 |
| Q2 2025 | 412 | 112 | 123 | 17 | 3 | 667 |
| Q3 2025 | 374 | 110 | 120 | 13 | 0 | 617 |
| Q4 2025 | 305 | 103 | 100 | 12 | 4 | 524 |
| Q1 2026 | 368 | 117 | 118 | 8 | 0 | 611 |
| Q2 2026 | 334 | 114 | 132 | 9 | 3 | 592 |
| Q3 2026 | 317 | 113 | 101 | 6 | 1 | 538 |
| Q4 2025โQ3 2026 | Past year | Previous year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinics | 1,324 | 1,663 | -20.4% |
| Dental | 447 | 437 | +2.3% |
| Korean medicine | 451 | 465 | -3.0% |
| Hospitals | 35 | 56 | -37.5% |
| Public health | 8 | 5 | โ |
| Total | 2,511 | 2,902 | -13.5% |
Previous year: Q4 2024โQ3 2025
Openings by specialty
Facilities offering several specialties are counted under each. Share = openings in the past year รท current facilities.
| Specialty | Past year | Previous year | Change | Share of current facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatology | 594 | 785 | -24.3% | 3.3% |
| Internal Medicine | 538 | 675 | -20.3% | 2.3% |
| Korean Medicine | 451 | 465 | -3.0% | 2.9% |
| Dental | 447 | 437 | +2.3% | 2.3% |
| Orthopedics | 426 | 512 | -16.8% | 3.4% |
| Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine | 390 | 441 | -11.6% | 4.7% |
| Family Medicine | 386 | 476 | -18.9% | 3.7% |
| Neurosurgery | 337 | 391 | -13.8% | 4.2% |
| Rehabilitation Medicine | 331 | 372 | -11.0% | 4.5% |
| ENT | 282 | 393 | -28.2% | 2.2% |
| Pediatrics | 265 | 382 | -30.6% | 1.7% |
| Plastic Surgery | 242 | 267 | -9.4% | 4.7% |
| Neurology | 195 | 254 | -23.2% | 3.3% |
| General Surgery | 168 | 227 | -26.0% | 1.8% |
| Urology | 150 | 176 | -14.8% | 1.9% |
| Psychiatry | 123 | 159 | -22.6% | 3.1% |
| OB/GYN | 90 | 126 | -28.6% | 2.1% |
| Radiology | 82 | 107 | -23.4% | 2.1% |
| Ophthalmology | 80 | 116 | -31.0% | 1.8% |
| Emergency Medicine | 59 | 62 | -4.8% | 5.7% |
| Cardiothoracic Surgery | 15 | 24 | -37.5% | 1.4% |
Openings by province/city
| Province/city | Past year | Previous year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 881 | 917 | -3.9% |
| Gyeonggi | 645 | 735 | -12.2% |
| Busan | 140 | 180 | -22.2% |
| Incheon | 120 | 166 | -27.7% |
| Daegu | 103 | 142 | -27.5% |
| Gyeongnam | 100 | 113 | -11.5% |
| Chungnam | 76 | 92 | -17.4% |
| Gyeongbuk | 69 | 84 | -17.9% |
| Gwangju | 61 | 69 | -11.6% |
| Chungbuk | 57 | 60 | -5.0% |
| Jeonnam | 55 | 61 | -9.8% |
| Daejeon | 47 | 88 | -46.6% |
| Gangwon | 43 | 50 | -14.0% |
| Jeonbuk | 39 | 57 | -31.6% |
| Jeju | 30 | 38 | -21.1% |
| Ulsan | 28 | 40 | -30.0% |
| Sejong | 17 | 10 | +70.0% |
Emergency Medicine openings by region
| Province/city | Past year | Previous year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyeonggi | 20 | 21 | -4.8% |
| Seoul | 17 | 19 | -10.5% |
| Daegu | 3 | 1 | โ |
| Incheon | 3 | 5 | โ |
| Gyeongnam | 3 | 0 | โ |
| Busan | 2 | 5 | โ |
| Gwangju | 2 | 1 | โ |
| Sejong | 2 | 0 | โ |
| Chungbuk | 2 | 1 | โ |
| Daejeon | 1 | 0 | โ |
| Gangwon | 1 | 1 | โ |
| Chungnam | 1 | 1 | โ |
| Jeonbuk | 1 | 2 | โ |
| Jeonnam | 1 | 0 | โ |
| Ulsan | 0 | 2 | โ |
| Gyeongbuk | 0 | 0 | โ |
| Jeju | 0 | 3 | โ |
Closures (delisted)
Closures are counted as facilities that drop out of the public data each quarter. Tracking starts this quarter; figures will be available from the next data update.
Methodology
- Openings: counted by the quarter of each currently listed facility's opening date. The quarter in progress is excluded.
- Change: the sum of the last four quarters compared with the four quarters before. Rates are not shown when the previous value is under 10.
- The most recent quarters may be undercounted because new facilities take time to appear in public data. Keep this in mind when comparing with the previous year.
- Closures: facilities missing from the quarterly collection. If more than 5% go missing (likely a collection error), that quarter is not counted.
Cite this report
Source: MediInsight Ranking, "Q4 2026 medical facility openings & closures", https://medi-insight.co.kr/en/report
Download CSVOpenings by quarter, province/city and specialty (last 8 quarters) ยท Q4 2024โQ3 2026 (2024-10-01 ~ 2026-09-30)