Generally, achieving great mental and physical health entails diving deep into the health and wellness industry. With this in mind, studies have shown that individuals who wish to attain this state must focus on developing good eating habits, alongside an active lifestyle where fitness holds top priority.
Additionally, research has shown that a state of perpetual mental and fitness wellbeing also entails addressing any and all issues that a person may be dealing with. These include, but are not limited to, workplace, social, emotional, spiritual, and personality challenges.
As such, diving into the wellness industry is no easy feat, although it is generally achievable by anyone with a strong sense of will. To further highlight this aspect, the chances are that you’ve seen pictures of people (or personally know someone) who have completely changed their lifestyle by integrating fitness, healthier foods, and smart mental health practices into their daily lives.
This article will focus on briefly outlining and explaining some of the main health and wellness industry statistics and facts to help readers better understand the industry, alongside the main steps that have to be taken to ensure a healthier, longer, and happier lifespan.
Scientific studies have shown that following all of the tips outlined in this article will surely lead to a healthier and happier lifestyle, both from a physical and mental point of view. The stats outlined below cover several years, thus showcasing the evolution of the industry as well.
2021 Health and Wellness Industry Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- The overall wellness market was valued at $4.2 trillion during 2017. It is believed that since then, the number has continued to increase, given that more and more people showcase an active interest in their overall health and wellness. This is a very positive trend that is sure to have great and lasting effects in the long run.
- 5.3% of global economic output is generated by the health and wellness industry.
- Only 56% of people believe they are in excellent or very good health.
- 80% of individuals believe the market is filled with conflicting data on what foods are healthy.
- Wellness tourism is gaining traction, as it stands for 17% of global tourism expenditures. More and more people choose to travel for wellness, given the numerous physical and mental benefits associated with exploring the world.
How Big Is the Health and Wellness Industry?
1 . The global wellness industry, including spiritual self-care, has grown to $4 trillion.
The wellness market has expanded by 6.4% since 2017 from $3.7 trillion to a value of $4.2 trillion. This growth has been twice as fast as the growth of the global economy! Spiritual self-care is one of the numerous spin-offs of this rapidly expanding wellness industry.
2. The physical activity sector alone is estimated to cross the $1.1 trillion mark by 2023.
While the health and wellness industry is growing rapidly, the physical activity sector alone is estimated to cross the $1.1 trillion mark by 2023.
3. The personal care, beauty, and anti-aging sector make up the largest part of the wellness market.
This sector holds a whopping $1,083 billion market share in the wellness industry as numerous people are willing to invest more in anti-aging and beauty products.
4. The US has the largest market size in the health and wellness industry at $52.5 billion in value.
China comes in second with $19.9 billion, which shows that the US is in the lead with a significant margin. With $9.5 billion value, Australia comes third, and the UK and Germany follow with $9 billion and $6.4 billion value, respectively.
Health And Wellness Industry Growth
5. Between 2015 and 2017, the wellness market saw a 6.4% annual growth.
This statistic proves the point outlined earlier on. As such, the latest trends indicate a constant growth of the industry – from $3.7 trillion in 2015 to $4.2 trillion in 2017. The actual value today is difficult to determine because no additional studies have been carried out since then. However, we estimate that the value has surpassed the $5 trillion threshold.
Source: Global Wellness Institute
6. The health and wellness industry spending growth makes it a direct competitor to healthcare spending.
As such, it has been determined that wellness expenditures in 2017 have surpassed half of the healthcare-related spending during the same year. Data provided by the World Health Organization pinpoint general healthcare spending to $7.3 trillion in 2017.
Analysts also seem to believe that these numbers will continue to increase, given the population growth and the rising popularity of the trend.
Source: Global Wellness Institute
7. Worldwide, the health and wellness industry generates 5.3% of global economic output.
There’s no denying its magnitude. People throughout the world are eager to spend a good portion of money in self-care investments like these. Analysis indicates that this trend will continue, as more and more people decide that health and wellness come first. This stat also explains the rising popularity of numerous wellness-related products and services.
Source: Global Wellness Institute
Wellness Trends And Facts
8. Most of the industry’s spending comes from beauty and personal care, the clean eating trend, wearable fitness devices, and wellness tourism.
These are considered the key sectors of global wellness, and for a good reason too. Spending for each of these niches is more than $500 billion yearly, and significantly higher when compared to some of the other key sectors, according to the beauty industry statistics.
Source: Medium
9. A report published by PwC has determined that 49% of US citizens own a wearable fitness device.
This research was carried out in 2018 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), concluding that wearable devices are here to stay, especially when used for their fitness-related functions.
At this time, fitness wearable devices offer users essential data concerning their heartbeat, stress levels, number of calories burned, steps taken, oxygenation levels, and more. Additionally, they also serve as personal fitness coaches, since they can encourage people to be more active, while also precisely tracking their physical activity and food intake.
Global wellness statistics showcase that out of the 49% of users, 45% own a fitness band. This proves that wearables are mostly purchased for their health and fitness tracking functionalities, rather than other purposes.
Source: PwC
10. The PwC report has determined that the wellness wearables market will reach $27 billion by 2023.
This massive growth is based on the main expectations held by consumers regarding their wearable devices. As such, the same study has determined that 70% of respondents expect their devices to help increase their lifespan, 63% expect their devices to help them keep healthy body weight, whereas 62% would like their devices to reduce the cost of insurance premiums, according to the wellness industry statistics.
Source: PwC
11. A PwC report determined that 12% of its survey respondents owned some form of smart clothing.
Smart clothing serves similar purposes when compared to fitness bands – increasing overall wellbeing. As such, relevant examples include, but are not limited to, clothes which control the flow of air and adapt to breathing (thus helping prevent overheating while exercising), and clothes which help the human body sleep better and heal faster.
This wellness market statistic showcases that while in its first stages, the smart clothing market is bound to see an increase in the near future, as companies come up with smarter and better clothes designed to improve our general wellbeing.
Source: PwC
12. Wearable devices may be soon used to send thermoelectric pulses that help cool, soothe, and heat your body. This will also be a contributing factor to the health and wellness industry growth in the future.
Since wearable fitness and wellness devices are the norm now, producers throughout the world are focusing on adding new features that can further improve their usability. As such, a PwC report has determined the main trends in wearable device features. Below, you will see the percentage of people who find the following scenarios useful:
- 85% of respondents would like wearable devices which offer safe-driver insurance based on driving habits, according to statistics on the wellness industry.
- 83% of respondents would like wearable devices which send thermoelectric pulses to help heat, soothe, and cool the body based on sensors that sense pain, stress, and body temperature.
- 82% of respondents would like wearable devices that are able to track the health, safety, and location of children.
- 66% of respondents would like wearable devices that can monitor mood and help select and play music based on the current mood of the user.
Source: PwC
13. A PwC research effort determined that 79% of US employers offer a wellness program.
As such, we can see that the wellness industry has become more relevant in the workplace as well, as employers have noticed that employees tend to stick around more and be more productive when working for companies that care about their general wellbeing.
Another aspect that employers are focusing on is flexible workplaces since studies have shown that flexibility also improves the wellness of employees. This statement is based on information compiled by a few of the world’s workplace global wellness statistics.
Source: PwC
14. Workplace disease management programs are losing popularity to wellness programs.
While disease management programs are essential to any workplace, similar to health insurance, it seems like the focus is now centered on introducing workplace wellness programs, based on the response of both employers and employees to a PwC study.
Governments throughout the world should ensure that healthcare is not completely replaced with wellness in the eyes of employers, as dealing with a disease is generally more expensive and difficult when compared to improving the employees’ wellness.
Source: PwC
Global Wellness Statistics
15. Mineral & thermal springs businesses have rapidly grown 4.9% from 2017 and expected to cross $77 billion by 2023.
According to the healthy trends in 2020, the mineral&thermal spring industry was valued at $56.2 billion in 2017 with about 1.8 million workers. It has witnessed tremendous growth since 2017 by 4.9% and is expected to generate more than $77 billion in revenue in 2023.
16. The spa sector is among the top in the beauty health and wellness industry and is estimated to reach $128 billion by next year.
The trends in the health and wellness industry keep changing, but the spa sector has steadily been on top from the start, with an annual growth of 9.9% from 2017. It is projected to cross the $128 billion mark in 2023.
17. The growing popularity of the spa industry in the health and wellness trend expanded its revenue to $18 billion in 2020.
According to the health and wellness trends for 2020, the spa industry reached $18 billion in market size. The industry employed more than 366 thousand individuals, with more than 22 thousand businesses.
18. Just like the entire industry, it seems like wellness tourism is also growing.
With this in mind, the same PwC research effort determined that at this time, the total value of the wellness tourism market is situated around $639 billion. An exponential increase is currently underway, granted that between 2015 and 2017, its value has grown at a rate of 6.5% per year, according to health and wellness industry data.
Source: PwC
19. Those who choose wellness tourism usually travel to the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa regions.
These destinations are chosen thanks to their friendly climate and plethora of things to do for those who would like to invest in their overall wellness and health. Asia remains the main destination for wellness tourists as it has been for the last couple of years, according to the wellness industry trends.
Source: PwC
20. Wellness tourism represents 17% of all worldwide tourism expenditures.
As such, it can be concluded that a very large number of tourists do not travel for sightseeing like most people but rather to get in shape both mentally and physically. Several studies have been conducted on this case, proving the benefits associated with living an active lifestyle fuelled by travel.
While wellness industry tourism costs may be high when traveling abroad, many people seem to forget that all of the world’s countries offer beautiful destinations and attractions.
Source: PwC
21. Predictions estimate that the worldwide spa market will reach the value of $154.6 billion by 2023.
As such, the wellness trend isn’t based solely on traveling, eating healthy food, and using smart devices. Spa represents a key component of the wellness and health market, as indicated by spa industry statistics. Reports also indicate that the revenue for spas was situated at $17.5 billion in the US during 2017.
Source: Statista
22. 28% of US-based gym members have reported using spa facilities regularly.
Trends indicate that spas are often used in the United States by gym membership holders. Of course, standalone spa centers are available outside the gym as well, where numerous people regularly attend sessions to improve their general wellbeing.
We hope that this stat also helps shed some light into how big is the health and wellness industry, since spa facilities represent an important percentage of the pie.
Source: Statista
23. 77% of respondents would work out more if their employer offered gym facilities.
This represents the main reason why numerous corporate offices have invested large amounts of capital into creating their very own gym facilities. Keeping employers healthy and fit is proven to have numerous advantages over their state of being, and of course, work productivity.
Source: Treadmill Reviews
24. 78% of Americans have changed their diet following a discussion with a healthcare professional.
This healthcare industry statistics helps showcase that individuals are most likely to listen to the advice given by their doctor, rather than being willing to take action on their own. As such, we can conclude that a large number of people do not care enough about their health and wellness, and only take action once they are at risk of disease or are feeling actual symptoms.
Source: Food Insights
25. Access and cost of food represent the two challenges in the way of healthier eating habits.
It is believed that many more people would eat fruits and vegetables if cost and access to healthy organic products wouldn’t be an issue. At this point, many choose to eat meat, since it is generally cheaper, more fulfilling, but also easier to find.
On the other hand, since fruits and vegetables are more perishable, interest is low, despite their numerous healthy nutrients and the well-known benefits associated with having a balanced diet, based on the latest wellness trends and facts.
This problem can be fixed by lowering the artificial price of vegetables on the world’s market. The issue here is that distributors purchase the bulk of vegetables from producers at very low costs, which are then put into stores at much higher prices.
Studies concerning the P2P distribution of vegetables have pointed out that smarter and more cost-effective solutions exist. We need to eliminate third-parties and introduce direct purchases by consumers from producers.
Source: Food Insights
26. Only 56% of consumers believe their health is excellent or very good.
We can conclude that the potential market value of the health and wellness industry is far from being reached. Since only 56% of respondents have good thoughts about their health, it is very likely that those who do not have this opinion are more than willing to invest and spend more on improving their wellness.
To truly improve your health and wellness, consistency is mandatory. Engaging in health and wellness-related practices for short timeframes is beneficial, yet it won’t provide any advantages in the long run. Like with many other things, discipline is key.
Health and wellness statistics also show that people should invest more effort into improving their overall health.
Source: Food Insights
27. Only 37% of American citizens have a BMI score that is normal or low.
On the other hand, 32% of people are overweight, whereas 28% are obese. Because of this statistic, we can easily determine that the food industry needs to be rebuilt in the US and other areas of the world. More focus should be placed on promoting alternatives to unhealthy food.
The first step in this direction would be to drop the massive price differences between unhealthy and healthy food. The second step is directly linked to education, as more people need to be aware of the importance associated with their eating and exercising habits.
Source: Food Insights
28. 80% of surveyed respondents believe that the market boasts a lot of conflicting information regarding what we should eat.
This statistic can definitely apply to the Global Wellness Economy as well since it is not exclusive to the US. With this in mind, businesses have a habit of spreading false information when it comes down to promoting their health and wellness products.
As such, a crackdown on these false information campaigns is required to ensure that people throughout the world are well educated on what foods are healthy and their actual benefits.
Source: Food Insights
Conclusion
Our health and wellness industry statistics serve the purpose of further educating readers while highlighting market opportunities. Based on everything that has been outlined so far, it is a delight to conclude that more and more people throughout the world are taking better care of their health and overall wellness.
Unfortunately, we are still a long way from achieving better overall health and wellness for all people. The main scope of the health and wellness industry should not be profit, but rather the creation of products and services that are scientifically proven to improve user health and wellbeing.
False advertising has taken this market by storm, thus creating problems for many individuals who spend large amounts of money on products and services that remain inconclusive.
