United States Wellness Market Pulls Away from the Global Pack: Reaches $2 Trillion For First Time

New Global Wellness Institute research on the world's wellness markets finds the US is the indisputable "wellness nation," pulling further ahead of #2 China ($870 billion), #3 Germany ($310 billion), and #4 Japan ($255 billion). Globally, per capita spend on wellness ($788) is greater than healthcare ($746), hotels/restaurants ($593), and clothing/shoes ($294)

MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The non-profit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) today released its annual "Country Rankings" report, the only research that measures the wellness markets of 140 countries, the countries and regions growing fastest, and annual per capita wellness spend by country.

One striking finding is how the US market, which always ranks #1, is pulling further away from other mega wellness markets, with 8.3% annual growth from 2019 to 2023, compared to 4.9% for China, 5.9% for Germany, and 3.1% for Japan (when measured in Japan's local currency). The now $2 trillion US market represents one-third (32%) of the entire global wellness economy, with American consumers now spending over $6,000 annually on wellness for the first time.

But the growth story is global. Every one of the top 25 wellness markets has surpassed its pre-pandemic value when measured in local currency. Large wellness markets with exceptionally strong growth since 2019 include Mexico, India, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, the UK and Indonesia, all of which are now worth over 130% of their 2019 market levels. The growth leaders from 2022 to 2023 are: Thailand (28.4%), Mexico (19.9%), Austria (16.2%), Poland (15.9%) and India ($15.9%).

"The United States continues to lead the global wellness economy, not only by its size and per capita spending, but also by its resilience and growth," noted Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung, GWI senior research fellows. "However, US healthcare spending continues to skyrocket while health outcomes are still among the worst compared to other wealthy countries. So, it is fair to ask if this massive consumer wellness market can spend its way to broad-based health and wellbeing."

The report is a companion to GWI's 2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, finding that the world wellness economy is worth $6.3 trillion and forecast to reach $9 trillion by 2028.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE. 

GRAPHS ARE HERE. 

Top 15 National Wellness Markets
(Market size 2023 and average annual growth rate from 2019 to 2023)

1) United States: $2 trillion—8.3%
2) China:$870 billion—4.9%
3) Germany:$310 billion—5.9%
4) Japan:$255 billion—minus 3.2%
5) UK:$230 billion—7.3%
6) France: $195 billion—5.4%
7) India:$148 billion—8.8%
8) Canada:$144 billion—7.3%
9) Italy: $131 billion­­––4.3%
10) Australia:$127 billion––7.5%
11) South Korea:$117 billion––3.6%
12) Brazil: $111 billion––minus 0.5%
13) Russia:$108 billion––3.3%
14) Spain:$96 billion––5.2%
15) Mexico: $93 billion––10.3%

The top ten largest markets represent 70% of the entire global wellness economy. It's important to note that currency depreciation negatively affected the measurements of some major wellness economies, especially Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Russia, India and South Korea. The report explains how their wellness market performance is stronger when measured in their local currencies.

Top 10 Selected Markets for Strongest Recent Growth
(Avg. annual growth rate 2019-2023 and 2023 wellness market as % of its 2019 level)

1) Saudi Arabia: 13.5%––166%
2) United Arab Emirates: 12%––158%
3) Croatia: 11.4%––154%
4) Mexico: 10.3%––148%
5) Bangladesh: 9.0%––141%
6) India: 8.8%––140%
7) Costa Rica: 8.7%––140%
8) US: 8.3%––137%
9) Romania: 8.2%––137%
10) Singapore: 7.8%––135%

Trends Driving Growth Across Countries: The report details how the trends fueling growth from 2019 to 2023 are very different for various countries clocking the biggest gains. In India, over one-third of growth came from a huge increase in the Traditional & Complementary Medicine sector. In Australia, nearly one-third of growth came from the Wellness Real Estate sector. In the Netherlands and the UK, about 60% of growth came from gains in the Wellness Real Estate and Public Health sectors. For Mexico, nearly half of its gains came from the Healthy Eating, Nutrition, & Weight Loss segment, while for Morocco and Croatia half of their growth came from Wellness Tourism. Overall, four wellness sectors are responsible for much of the wellness economy growth in the largest, fastest-growing markets: public health, prevention, & personalized medicine; wellness real estate; healthy eating, nutrition, & weight loss; and personal care & beauty.

Wellness Spending Per Capita: Top 10 Countries 

1)Iceland:$7,111
2)Switzerland:$6,446
3)Seychelles:$6,387
4)US:$6,014
5)Aruba:$5,716
6)Austria:$5,524       
7)Australia:$4,824
8)Norway:$4,525
9)New Zealand:$4,262
10)Denmark:$3,990    

It's no surprise that spending on wellness is highest in the wealthiest countries that also rank in the top 25 for GDP per capita, including Switzerland, Iceland, the US, Austria and Australia. Small countries like the Seychelles and Aruba make the list because they're major high-end inbound wellness tourism destinations. The countries with the biggest growth in per-person wellness spending from 2022 to 2023 are Iceland (+ $1,588), Austria (+ $831), Switzerland (+ $709), and the US (+ $693). Per capita spending on wellness is significantly higher in North America($5,768) and Europe($1,794) than in other regions.

At the regional level, per capita spending on wellness is higher than consumer out-of-pocket spending on healthcare across every region except North America. Globally, per capita spending on wellness grew by 5.9% annually from 2019 to 2023, outpacing the growth of consumer out-of-pocket spending on healthcare (4.1% annually). Wellness also outpaced the growth rates for many other spending categories, including hotels/restaurants (3.8% annually), clothing/shoes (1.4%), and education (1.6%), both at the global level and across every region.

Research Sponsors: This research was made possible with support from these leading companies: Kohler, Red Sea Global, SIRO, Fountain Life, Biologique Recherche, NADclinic, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, ESPA, Grown Alchemist, Hyatt, Technogym, Amatrius, Beppu City, Elemis, Mather, Naturopathica, Perfect Wellness Group, Rancho La Puerta, Six Senses and Universal Companies. 

About the Global Wellness Institute: The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is considered the leading global research and educational resource for the global wellness industry and is known for introducing major industry initiatives and regional events that bring together leaders to chart the future. GWI positively impacts global health and wellness by educating public institutions, businesses and individuals on how they can work to prevent disease, reduce stress and enhance overall quality of life. Its mission is to empower wellness worldwide.

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SOURCE Global Wellness Institute