Ant Group’s AI Healthcare App AQ Sees Rapid Growth Across Rural China

TLDRs;

• Ant Group’s AI healthcare app AQ hits 140 million users, with 60% adoption in China’s lower-tier cities.
• AQ offers 100+ services, connecting patients with 200,000 doctors, 5,000 hospitals, and 300 AI doctor agents.
• The app reduces healthcare inequality by bridging rural-urban gaps and improving local doctors’ diagnostic accuracy.
• China’s booming healthcare AI market positions AQ as a global model for scalable, trusted digital healthcare solutions.

Ant Group’s AI-powered healthcare app, AQ, has achieved remarkable growth in less than a year, reaching 140 million users since its launch in June 2025.

What makes this milestone especially significant is that 60% of users come from China’s third-tier and lower-tier cities, regions that traditionally face critical shortages in medical resources.

The figures underscore how digital platforms like AQ are transforming healthcare accessibility in rural areas, where patients often endure long journeys and crowded hospitals in major cities to receive proper treatment.

AQ’s growing healthcare ecosystem

Ant Group unveiled AQ’s latest updates at the INCLUSION Conference on the Bund in Shanghai, highlighting its expanding scope. AQ now offers more than 100 AI-driven healthcare services, ranging from personalized health advice and doctor recommendations to medical report interpretation.

The app connects users to a broad network of over 5,000 hospitals and 200,000 licensed doctors, providing digital consultations and referrals that bypass traditional geographic barriers. In addition, AQ integrates support from more than 300 AI “doctor agents” co-developed with leading hospitals in China.

Ant Group also introduced an AI agent development platform, enabling physicians and medical institutions to build customized digital agents, further strengthening the app’s healthcare delivery capabilities.

Bridging China’s healthcare inequality

The surge in AQ’s adoption reflects China’s uneven distribution of healthcare services. Research shows that just 8% of Chinese cities function as healthcare hubs, while 63% of cities depend on resources elsewhere, leaving patients in underserved areas at a disadvantage.

By connecting remote patients with doctors nationwide, AQ has emerged as a tool to close the urban-rural healthcare gap. Early studies suggest the technology improves local care too, community doctors equipped with AI tools saw their diagnostic accuracy increase by 4–8% when treating patients.

This improvement is critical in a country facing mounting demographic challenges. By 2035, China’s elderly population will surpass the entire U.S. population, creating unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems already stretched thin in rural areas.

Global implications and future partnerships

AQ’s rapid rise also reflects a broader global trend in AI-driven healthcare adoption. Industry data shows 75% of major healthcare companies worldwide are experimenting with generative AI, though trust barriers persist. In markets like the U.S., three out of four patients say they don’t fully trust AI in healthcare, yet most are comfortable with limited applications such as AI nurse assistants.

China’s healthcare AI market is projected to expand from $1.59 billion in 2023 to $16.02 billion by 2028, signaling explosive growth. Ant Group is positioning itself at the forefront by not only scaling AQ but also forming partnerships with major medical institutions. Recently, the company partnered with Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing to launch a joint AI healthcare innovation lab, cementing its dual strategy of consumer reach and clinical credibility

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