Ankara, Dec 24 () - Turkey has ranked as the world’s top country for the number of eye surgeries done annually, as over 40,000 operations are carried out yearly in Turkey, mainly on foreign patients amid rapidly rising demand.

The highest number of foreign patients came from Britain, Germany and Middle Eastern countries, according to sector representatives.

The most popular spots for foreign patients are Istanbul and the Mediterranean resort of Antalya. The remaining one-third prefers the capital Ankara, the Aegean city of İzmir and the northwestern province of Bursa, which is especially popular among Arabic tourists.

In terms of per patient income, regular tourists bring around $700. The medical tourism income average is $8,000, according to sector players. This does not include the accompanying people’s income, but they often come as a family.

There has also been a steady increase since 2005, when Turkey received around 125,000 foreign patients. In 2010, Turkey reached $2.4 billion in income and 487,000 foreign patients. The numbers for 2014 were 727,000 patients and $5.5 billion. The next target was reportedly 2 million patients and $20 billion in income.