The global wellness economy reached a record $6.8 trillion in 2024, according to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). It grew 7.9% from 2023 to 2024 and is forecast to reach about $9.8 trillion by 2029. These statistics summarise the size of the market, how its 11 sectors compare and where spending is growing fastest.
- 1The global wellness economy was worth $6.8 trillion in 2024, equal to 6.12% of global GDP.
- 2Personal care and beauty is the largest sector at $1.35 trillion, followed by healthy eating and physical activity.
- 3GWI forecasts annual growth of 7.6% to 2029, well ahead of the 4.5% projected for global GDP.
Size of the wellness economy
The wellness economy has roughly doubled in size since 2013. Between 2013 and 2024 it grew by 6.5% a year on average, compared with 3.2% a year for global GDP. In 2024 it accounted for 6.12% of global economic output.
Size of the global wellness economy in 2024, a new peak.
Growth in the wellness economy from 2023 to 2024.
Wellness economy by sector
GWI measures 11 sectors. Personal care and beauty, healthy eating and physical activity are each worth more than $1 trillion.
| Sector | Size, 2024 | Annual growth, 2019–2024 | Forecast annual growth, 2024–2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care & beauty | $1.35T | 4.8% | 4.8% |
| Healthy eating, nutrition & weight loss | $1.15T | 4.7% | 7.1% |
| Physical activity | $1.14T | 4.6% | 5.1% |
| Wellness tourism | $894B | 6.4% | 9.1% |
| Public health, prevention & personalized medicine | $676B | 8.6% | 4.7% |
| Traditional & complementary medicine | $606B | 4.6% | 10.8% |
| Wellness real estate | $548B | 19.5% | 15.2% |
| Mental wellness | $268B | 12.4% | 10.1% |
| Spas | $157B | 6.2% | 7.7% |
| Thermal & mineral springs | $72B | 1.7% | 10.0% |
| Workplace wellness | $53B | 0.7% | 2.2% |
Some sectors overlap, so the sector figures add up to slightly more than the $6.8 trillion total.
Fastest-growing sectors
Wellness real estate grew fastest between 2019 and 2024, at 19.5% a year, followed by mental wellness at 12.4%. GWI expects wellness real estate to stay the fastest-growing sector to 2029, at 15.2% a year, ahead of traditional and complementary medicine (10.8%) and mental wellness (10.1%).
Wellness spending by region
North America has the highest wellness spending per person by a wide margin. It was also the fastest-growing region over the last five years, at 7.9% a year, ahead of the Middle East and North Africa (7.2%) and Europe (6.3%).
| Region | Wellness spending per person |
|---|---|
| North America | $6,029 |
| Europe | $1,876 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | $607 |
| Asia | $471 |
| Middle East & North Africa | $339 |
Forecast to 2029
GWI forecasts the wellness economy to grow by 7.6% a year between 2024 and 2029, reaching about $9.8 trillion. That compares with 4.5% annual growth projected for global GDP over the same period.
The bar chart on this page shows 2019, 2023, 2024 and the 2029 forecast. The 2019 and 2023 values are derived from GWI’s published growth rates (35% growth from 2019 to 2024, and 7.9% from 2023 to 2024).
Sources
- 01Global Wellness Institute. 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor.(opens in a new tab)globalwellnessinstitute.org
- 02