Telemedicine Statistics – The Latest Telehealth Statistics in 2024

In this guide, we cover the main regional telemedicine markets, the most important telehealth use cases, and the key current and future trends in the field.

Telemedicine statistics give us information about providing support and healthcare through electronic communication channels, like telephones and the internet. It’s part of the digital transformation of healthcare and has been on the rise for the last few decades.

It was COVID-19, however, that really pushed telemedicine and remote clinical services into the spotlight. Around the world, medical professionals and patients relied on telehealth and virtual care to mitigate the risks of infection and optimize the resources of healthcare systems.

After the pandemic, many facilities continued to offer remote healthcare services, and the market has been growing ever since.

Given these advancements and the considerable potential impact of telemedicine on healthcare, it’s important to pay attention to telemedicine statistics and trends. Let’s dive in.

Key Telemedicine Statistics

Telemedicine Market Size & Forecast

According to Grand View Research, the telemedicine market was valued at almost $115 billion in 2023. The report forecasts it to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.96% between 2023 and 2030. Fortune Business Insights concurs with that assessment, predicting that the telemedicine market will reach $286.22 billion by 2030.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributed to the growth of the telemedicine market and the popularity of digital health solutions. Social distancing measures and the overwhelming impact on medical personnel meant that many routine appointments were canceled. Here’s a quick overview of COVID-19’s impact on telemedicine.

Telemedicine and Covid-19

A 2022 study by Kaiser Permanente tells us that before the start of the pandemic, telemedicine integration in the US was rudimentary, although 76% of American hospital systems did have some form of telehealth. However, in the first three months of the pandemic, telehealth insurance claims grew by 766%, and over 20% of all US medical appointments in 2020 were remote.

Moreover, before COVID-19, 65% of American medical professionals had never used telemedicine, and 23% used it rarely.

During the pandemic’s peak, more than 97% of healthcare experts were using telemedicine. For 43%, half of their appointments were telehealth appointments. In terms of outlook, 44% of US doctors predict that between 10% and 49% of their future appointments will be through telehealth.

Telemedicine Statistics by Region

As with most emerging technologies, regions use and develop telemedicine at different rates. In this section, we look at key telemedicine statistics in different parts of the world, including popularity and uptake, number of users, and consumer attitudes.

North America

North America is the largest telemedicine market in the world, with a share of 33.5%. That’s hardly surprising since many telehealth companies have a presence in the region. Moreover, as of 2022, 22% of global telemedicine companies were looking to expand to Canada and 17% to the US.

In 2023, Canada’s telehealth market revenue (including digital treatment and digital wellbeing) reached $2.42 billion, roughly ~$100 million more than the year before. That revenue is forecast to hit $3.58 billion by 2028, as the significant growth is largely due to Canada’s high telehealth literacy.

As of 2021, over 80% of physicians in the country had the expertise to provide virtual care, and 78% were satisfied by the level of patient support they could provide through this channel.

In the US, the telemedicine market was valued at $38.04 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% until 2030. In 2023, 44% of physicians used it at least weekly and 40% daily. For 65% of American physicians, 25% of all their appointments in 2022 were telehealth appointments.

Europe

The European telemedicine market is almost on par with North America in terms of development and growth. As of 2022, 77% of European countries frequently used telemedicine, with COVID-19 contributing to its use. As our infographic shows, the Spanish telemedicine market had a significant boost during COVID-19.

Spain is the largest telemedicine market in the EU. Almost 72% of Spanish residents had a telemedicine appointment during the pandemic. The market revenue was $270.2 million in 2022 and is projected to grow to $351.5 million by 2027.

Given that the number of telemedicine users in the country increased from 1.18 million in 2020 to 1.32 million in 2021 and is forecast to reach 1.41 million in 2027, such exponential growth isn’t surprising. The average revenue per user (ARPU) in telemedicine is also forecast to grow from $209.5 in 2022 to $250 by 2027.

The UK isn’t far behind. For instance, over 80% of patients in the UK  had a telephone (22%) or a video consultation (59%) with their doctor during COVID-19. And in 2022, 28% of physicians saw at least 75% of their patients via telemedicine. In comparison, this was 2% in Germany and Sweden, and 1% in France.

In 2022, the British telehealth market was valued at $1.58 billion and is forecast to reach $16.2 billion by 2030. The main reasons are the ongoing healthcare crisis in the UK and the government’s digitization efforts.

Latin America

In Latin America (LATAM), Brazil has the largest telehealth market, which is not surprising, considering it’s one of the most populated countries in the world. In 2020, there were around 2.46 million users of online medical consultations.

The number grew to 3.49 million in 2023 and is forecast to reach 4.25 million by 2028. The ARPU has been growing steadily since 2021 and is predicted to reach $292.81 in 2028.

Other LATAM countries have somewhat smaller telemedicine markets. Here’s a breakdown of the region’s 2023 telemedicine market revenue and its forecast growth.

Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) telemedicine market is experiencing significant growth. Before the pandemic, the region’s telemedicine adoption rate was low: 5% in Australia, 29% in India, and non-existent in Malaysia. However, in 2024, the adoption rate is predicted to grow exponentially: 70% in Malaysia, 76% in China, and 56% in Australia.

APAC’s telemedicine market size was approximately $16.8 billion in 2020, and it’s forecast to more than double by 2025 ($37.1 billion). Japan is expected to see some of the largest growth, from $5.1 billion in 2023 to $7.1 billion in 2028.

Telemedicine Statistics by Audience

Now, let’s look at two user groups in these global telemedicine markets: the patients and the medical professionals.

Who Uses Telemedicine?

According to 2021 research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, 37% of adults used telemedicine, with slightly more females using it (42%) than males (31.7%). Regarding age, patients aged 65 and over used telemedicine the most (43.3%) and Gen Z (18–25-year-olds) the least (29.4%) in 2021 .

An ASPE (a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services) study conducted a year later shed more light on telemedicine users in 2022. It shows that 22.5% of adults and 18.1% of children in the US used telemedicine that year.

Like the CDC study, the ASPE report found that Gen Z use telemedicine the least (17.6%) and baby boomers (those aged 65+) the most (24.6%). In terms of income split, the highest percentage of telemedicine users in 2022 had an annual income of less than $25,000 (26.4%).

But what about other countries?

In Spain more women used telemedicine (63.2%) than men (47.4%) in 2022, like the US. Again, similar to the US, Gen Z had the lowest rate of telemedicine use (49.1%). However, it was the millennials (aged 26–40) who used telemedicine most frequently (58%). For baby boomers, the rate was 54.1%.

Attitudes Towards Telemedicine

As with all innovations, people have varying opinions about telemedicine. In this section, we look at the statistics related to the opinions and attitudes of medical professionals and patients towards telemedicine.

Healthcare Professionals

As the above graph shows, Australia had the highest percentage of physicians worldwide who were satisfied with telehealth in 2022. The potential for time saved using telemedicine was also highest in Australia in 2023 – up to six hours each year.

In fact, many physicians worldwide consider telemedicine a convenient solution. Almost 70% of American healthcare professionals perceived telemedicine as ‘convenient’ in 2021, and 35% as ‘efficient.’ Moreover, the lion’s share of these physicians believe that ease of use is the key to ensuring patients’ access to telemedicine.

Convenience is also the prevalent factor among physicians in other countries. For instance, in Canada, 70% of healthcare professionals found providing video appointments very convenient, and 77% had the same opinion about telephone appointments. And 84% of physicians confirmed that telehealth made it easier for patients to access their care.

Patients

Patients’ attitudes towards telemedicine is moving in a positive direction. Before COVID-19, 66% of adults in the US had concerns about the quality of telemedicine. However, this changed after the pandemic, and as of 2021, 88% preferred to use telemedicine.

Moreover, studies tell us that during COVID-19, patients’ experiences with telehealth appointments were just as positive as or more positive than face-to-face healthcare appointments in the US.

Of these appointments, patients tended to prefer video calls to telephone appointments. One study found that women preferred telehealth appointments for certain reproductive health issues.

Patients in Mexico seem to concur. According to statistics from 2021, almost 80% of telemedicine users said telehealth appointments were just as good as in-person appointments. About one-third of people (27%) in Great Britain were skeptical of telemedicine before trying it.

Top Telemedicine Use Case Statistics

Now, let’s take a closer look at why people use telemedicine. In this section, we’ll delve into the most common use cases for telehealth appointments.

Diagnostics & Follow-up Appointments

The most common reason people in the US used telemedicine in 2023 was follow-up appointments, which made up around 47% of all US telehealth appointments. It seems to be the convenience that people find attractive.

Indeed, in a paper published in The American Journal of Managed Care, researchers stipulate that 52.5% of follow-up patients found telemedicine appointments more efficient.

Mental Health Support

Another common purpose of telehealth appointments is mental health support, used by over one-third of American telemedicine users between 2021 and 2023. These telemental health services improve access to mental healthcare for certain groups of people, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, as it requires some technological literacy.

Chronic Conditions Support

Telemedicine has been a game-changer for patients with chronic conditions. During COVID-19, telehealth was used by almost 50% of Europeans living with such conditions. In the US, physicians reported that 72% of their telehealth appointments were related to chronic care in 2021.

In addition to improving patients’ quality of life, telemedicine is a significant time-saver for people with chronic illnesses. For instance, Italians with chronic pain could save up to 9.5 hours per year with telemedicine, more than in any other country. Germans and Australians with chronic conditions could save up to 7.4 hours.

Future Telemedicine Trends

What is the future of telemedicine? Given that it’s already making a huge difference to millions of people’s lives, it’s no surprise that the only way for telehealth is up.

But what are the trends shaping its development?

Integration With AI

The applications of AI in healthcare are boundless, and telemedicine is no exception. AI-powered apps can analyze huge amounts of patient data to help identify patterns and offer invaluable insights.

Chatbots and virtual assistants can enhance patient engagement by providing real-time responses to queries, helping schedule appointments, and setting reminders to take medication. Also, the diagnostics applications of AI can help save time and optimize physicians’ workload.

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality

Telemedicine doesn’t just support patients, it can transform the day-to-day work of medical professionals. AR and VR can help professionals, especially those being trained, to engage in realistic medical simulations, such as surgeries and procedures.

These simulations can provide a valuable learning experience, boosting physicians’ competence.

Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a big deal in telemedicine, especially for patients with chronic illnesses. For example, integrating RPM with wearable technologies allows healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely and access up-to-date data, enabling them to provide the best patient care. It also allows real-time responses to help prevent complications.

Closing Thoughts

Like any other medtech innovation, telehealth’s primary goal is to help people. During COVID-19, we were shown how well telemedicine can work on an unprecedented scale, leading to accelerated digital transformation in medical technologies. As of 2023, that market was worth more than $100 billion, and it continues to grow.

In this guide, we reviewed the key telemedicine markets, how they are growing, how patients and medical professionals perceive telemedicine, and the most common use cases.

We feel optimistic about the future of telemedicine, telehealth, and other medtech advancements. However, we also know that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and we look forward to seeing how innovators will bridge the gap that restricts access to telemedicine and other healthcare to various population groups.

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