Infertility is no longer a medical concern confined to a particular region or income group. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 17.5% of adults experience infertility during their lifetime, equivalent to roughly one in six people worldwide. As demand for fertility care grows, an increasing number of patients are looking beyond their home countries for treatment options that meet their medical, financial, legal, and cultural needs.
Iran has several advantages in this developing market. The country has decades of experience in assisted reproductive technology (ART), established fertility research institutions, specialist physicians, embryology laboratories, and treatment programs that include IVF, egg donation, genetic testing, and gestational surrogacy.
There is also evidence of international demand. In 2023, approximately 500 infertile couples from 23 countries traveled to receive treatment at Iran's Royan Institute alone.
Yet an important economic question remains unanswered: How much of the global fertility tourism market does Iran actually attract, and how much foreign currency does this sector generate?
Available figures point to substantial potential, but they also reveal a gap in national data collection. Understanding both sides is essential to evaluating Iran's position in international reproductive healthcare.
The Global Demand for Fertility Treatment: How Many Patients Travel Abroad?
The scale of infertility helps explain why cross-border reproductive care has developed into an international healthcare sector.
WHO's estimate of 17.5% lifetime infertility prevalence represents a substantial population that may need medical assessment or treatment at some point. It does not mean that all these individuals require IVF or will travel abroad. Many conceive naturally, receive treatment locally, or choose not to pursue medical intervention.
Still, the number of people seeking fertility services is considerable.
Patients travel internationally for several reasons. Some cannot access particular treatments in their home countries. Others face long waiting lists, restrictive donor regulations, high treatment prices, or legal limitations involving reproductive technologies.
Cultural and religious considerations also influence these decisions. For some patients, finding a clinic whose approach respects their religious beliefs is as important as finding an experienced fertility specialist.
What Do International Studies Show?
There is no comprehensive global registry that records every patient who crosses a national border for fertility treatment. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) describes cross-border reproductive care as an established international practice, but notes that accurate worldwide statistics remain difficult to obtain.
Several studies nevertheless provide useful benchmarks.
A European study conducted in 2010 examined cross-border reproductive treatment in six destination countries. Researchers estimated approximately 24,000–30,000 treatment cycles annually, involving around 11,000–14,000 patients. At the time, this represented roughly 5% of European fertility care.
More recent American data provide another perspective.
A 2026 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology examined 2,275,167 assisted reproductive technology cycles performed in the United States between 2014 and 2022. Of these, 59,246 cycles, or 2.6%, involved patients who lived outside the United States.
Those international patients came from 182 countries.
The distinction between patients and treatment cycles matters. One person may undergo multiple cycles, so 59,246 cycles do not represent 59,246 unique patients.
The study also found that international patients made greater use of certain specialized procedures, including donor eggs, gestational carriers, and preimplantation genetic testing.
Taken together, the European and American studies confirm that international fertility treatment is an established market, although they cannot provide a single global patient count.
ASRM summarizes the available evidence as tens of thousands of patients accessing fertility treatment across borders annually.
How Large Is the Global Fertility Tourism Market?
Commercial market research firms have also attempted to estimate the economic value of international fertility services.
Grand View Research estimated the global fertility tourism market at approximately $1.6 billion in 2024 and projected growth to $2.6 billion in 2026.
A separate estimate from 360iResearch valued the market at approximately $514 million in 2025 and projected $575 million in 2026.
These estimates differ considerably, partly because market researchers use different definitions, geographic coverage, and service categories. They should therefore be treated as commercial market estimates rather than audited international statistics.
Nevertheless, they suggest that reproductive healthcare has developed into an economic sector with significant international demand.
Iran's Medical Capacity: From IVF Research to Advanced Fertility Services
Iran's development in reproductive medicine began decades ago. Its early IVF milestones helped establish a foundation for the growth of fertility clinics, embryology laboratories, and specialized research institutions.
The establishment of the Royan Institute in 1991 was an important part of this development. Over the following decades, Iranian researchers and clinicians expanded their work into IVF, ICSI, embryo freezing, egg donation, genetic testing, and other assisted reproductive technologies.
Iran's Position in International Reproductive Medicine Research
In September 2025, Shahin Akhoundzadeh, Iran's Deputy Health Minister for Research and Technology, announced that Iran ranked first in West Asia and third globally in the number of published reproductive medicine research articles in 2024.
He also reported that Iranian institutions ranked first in the region for publications and citations in the field.
This announcement at the 26th Royan International Congress provides evidence of Iran's scientific activity in reproductive medicine.
However, research rankings and clinical outcomes measure different things. A high number of published studies does not, by itself, establish that every clinic has the same standards or success rates as leading international centers.
Clinical performance requires separate evaluation through transparent reporting of pregnancy and live-birth outcomes, laboratory standards, and patient-specific results.
IVF Treatment Capacity Across Iran
Iran's clinical infrastructure has also expanded.
In May 2024, Saeed Karimi, the Deputy Minister of Health for Treatment, reported that the country had 126 specialized level-three infertility centers providing IVF services.
The same announcement reported:
- 112,683 IVF procedures.
- Approximately 36,000 reported successful outcomes.
- A reported success rate of around 30%.
- 87 additional level-two infertility centers.
- Approximately 90% insurance coverage for specified inpatient and outpatient infertility treatment expenses under the government program discussed.
The 30% figure requires context. The announcement did not clearly define whether success referred to clinical pregnancy, live birth, or another treatment outcome. It should not be directly compared with international live-birth rates reported per embryo transfer.
The figures nevertheless demonstrate the scale of Iran's domestic fertility treatment infrastructure.
Royan has also reported substantial cumulative results. According to its treatment division, more than 55,000 babies had been born following infertility treatment at the institute by the end of the Iranian year 1404. This figure includes domestic and international patients, not foreign families alone.
International Patients Are Already Choosing Iran for Fertility Treatment
Iran’s international fertility care is not only a matter of publications or domestic capacity; foreign patients have already traveled there for treatment. Royan Institute offers the clearest public examples. In February 2025, Ahmad Vosough reported that about 500 infertile couples from 23 countries came to Iran during 1402 (2023–2024), citing treatment costs, medical expertise, and ethical and religious considerations. In August 2026, Royan director Abdulhossein Shahverdi said the institute had received more than 500 foreign couples annually before regional and operational challenges disrupted patient flows over the previous 12–18 months; patients included Muslims in Europe, including the UK, and neighboring regions. In June 2026, Royan’s Department of International Affairs reported ten babies born to international couples since the start of 1405 (March 21, 2026), with families from Australia, the UK, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
These figures describe one institution, not all Iranian centers, and the ten births are outcomes rather than arrival numbers. Still, they show that Iran has already established an international patient base for reproductive healthcare.
How Much Foreign Currency Can Fertility Tourism Generate for Iran?
Medical tourism provides a useful economic context for understanding the potential of fertility services.
In September 2025, Iran's Director General of Foreign Tourism Marketing and Development reported that approximately one million to 1.2 million health tourists had received healthcare services in Iran during the previous year.
The official identified several major treatment categories, including hair transplantation, cosmetic surgery, organ transplantation, and infertility treatment.
This figure covers the entire health tourism sector. It does not reveal how many of those visitors traveled specifically for IVF, egg donation, or surrogacy.
Iran's Overall Medical Tourism Revenue
Officials have given different estimates: former Health Minister Bahram Einollahi cited about $1 billion annually in February 2024, while a 2025 announcement by the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts referred to about $2 billion. These are broad sector estimates from different official statements, not a consistent audited series, and neither represents fertility treatment alone. Without a breakdown by specialty, attributing a specific share of Iran’s medical tourism income to reproductive medicine would be misleading.
Estimating the Opportunity for Fertility Tourism
Commercial estimates put the international fertility tourism market at hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars, depending on the provider and definition. Using Grand View Research’s $1.6 billion estimate for 2024, a 0.5% share would equal about $8 million annually, 1% about $16 million, 2% about $32 million, and 3% about $48 million. These are mathematical scenarios, not forecasts of Iran’s current revenue—but they show that even a small share could create meaningful opportunities.
The real economic contribution would extend beyond clinical procedures. International patients also spend on hotels, flights, transfers, local transport, translation, meals, and additional visits, and some stay for weeks or return for another embryo transfer—spreading spending across several local industries.
How Much of This Market Has Iran Captured So Far?
This remains one of the most important unanswered questions.
Royan’s reported 500 international couples in 1402 provides a documented reference point for one institution, and its later statement of more than 500 foreign couples annually before recent disruptions reinforces it. But public data still do not establish the total number of foreign couples treated across all Iranian centers, their countries and treatments, average spending on IVF, egg donation, genetic testing, or surrogacy, total foreign-currency revenue from fertility treatment, or Iran’s share of the global fertility tourism market.
As a result, Iran’s current market share and total fertility-tourism revenue cannot be calculated accurately. That does not mean the opportunity is small—it means Iran needs better measurement.
A national reporting framework could record country of residence, treatment category, number of cycles, clinic expenditure, length of stay, and associated travel spending, helping policymakers measure the sector’s real contribution and target investment more effectively.
The Role of Shi'a Jurisprudence in the Development of Fertility Treatment
Iran’s reproductive medicine sector is shaped by the interaction between modern medicine and Islamic jurisprudence. IVF, donor conception, and gestational surrogacy required religious and legal consideration of parentage, donor participation, inheritance, and reproductive ethics.
Several Shi'a scholars have permitted certain assisted reproductive procedures under specific conditions, helping create pathways for research and clinical practice, though interpretations can differ between authorities.
Iran also approved its Law on Embryo Donation to Infertile Spouses in 2003, establishing a legal framework through qualified treatment centers. Surrogacy, however, raises additional questions involving genetic parentage, gestational motherhood, inheritance, and parental rights.
For readers interested in the different Islamic legal perspectives, this discussion of surrogacy in Islam examines the religious considerations surrounding gestational arrangements.
Which Fertility Services Can International Patients Access in Iran?
Iranian fertility centers offer several pathways based on diagnosis and individual circumstances:
- IVF and ICSI: Lab fertilization of eggs with sperm, embryo transfer, and options for embryo freezing and frozen transfers.
- Egg donation: For women whose own eggs offer a low chance of pregnancy
- Genetic testing and family balancing: PGT-A, PGT-M, and PGT-SR serve different genetic purposes; sex selection
- Gestational surrogacy: For intended parents who cannot safely carry a pregnancy or have uterine conditions
Patients considering IVF in Iran, egg donation in Iran, or surrogacy in Iran should review the medical requirements, treatment costs, clinic procedures, and applicable legal arrangements before making travel plans.
Private Companies and the Future of International Fertility Care
Hospitals and fertility clinics provide the medical treatment, but international patients often need help navigating the wider process—consultations, medical records, appointments, treatment schedules, travel, and accommodation. Private coordinators connect patients with partner clinics and simplify communication for those far from the treatment center.
VitaLife works in this space, helping international intended parents explore IVF, egg donation, genetic testing, gender selection, and gestational surrogacy through partner clinics, with support for record reviews, treatment planning, physician appointments, and practical arrangements.
This role should complement clinical care, not replace it: licensed doctors and clinics remain responsible for medical assessments, treatment decisions, and patient safety. A stronger international fertility sector will require cooperation among medical institutions, research centers, private coordinators, tourism providers, and regulators.
What Must Happen Next?
Iran already has key building blocks for international reproductive healthcare: research institutions, specialized fertility centers, advanced ART experience, and a track record with foreign couples. What’s missing is a clear picture of international demand and its economic value.
Three priorities stand out:
- Improve national data collection — record international patients separately and report cycles, outcomes, and revenue consistently.
- Improve international transparency — provide clear information on clinic standards, prices, success-rate definitions, donor screening, and legal responsibilities.
- Strengthen patient coordination — visas, accommodation, translation, transport, and follow-up all shape patient decisions.
These steps would also help policymakers separate the value of medical treatment from the broader spending generated by international visitors.
Conclusion: Iran Has an Opportunity, but Better Data Will Determine Its Scale
The international market for fertility treatment is real and increasingly visible in clinical registries and medical tourism research. WHO estimates that approximately one in six adults experiences infertility during their lifetime, while ASRM reports that tens of thousands of patients travel across borders for reproductive care each year.
Iran has already attracted hundreds of foreign couples to at least one major fertility institution. Royan's report of approximately 500 couples from 23 countries in 1402 and its subsequent announcements about international treatment outcomes demonstrate that this is an existing activity, not merely a future possibility.
The country's reproductive medicine research output and its established clinical infrastructure provide additional foundations for growth.
However, Iran still lacks publicly available national figures that show how much foreign fertility treatment contributes to annual medical tourism revenue. Without these figures, the country's share of the global market remains unknown.
The opportunity is worth developing, but sustained growth will depend on measurable clinical performance, transparent reporting, legal clarity, and coordinated international patient services.
For organizations such as VitaLife, the task is to help make the country's reproductive medicine capabilities more accessible to international intended parents while supporting clear communication between patients and qualified fertility providers.
Iran's next step should be to turn its scientific and clinical capacity into a more transparent, measurable, and internationally connected fertility healthcare sector.
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