The non-profit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) revealed that the five largest wellness markets are the US ($2.1 trillion), China ($950 billion), Germany ($281 billion), Japan ($262 billion), and the UK ($261 billion). 

Together, these five nations represent a whopping 58% of the total wellness economy, according to its annual Country Rankings report, which is packed with data on the wellness markets of 145 countries.

The new research identifies the countries and regions with the fastest growth rates and reveals the amount of money spent annually on wellness in each nation.

Among the largest wellness markets, the standout five-year growth leaders are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico, Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, the US and Australia.

“One striking finding this year is the remarkable growth of the Middle East wellness economy over the last five years,” said Katherine Johnston, GWI senior research fellow. “This growth has mainly been driven by an explosive wellness market in the UAE and Saudi Arabia—the region’s largest markets and also the fastest-growing countries in the world since 2019. Rapid growth in wellness tourism is bringing new wellness spending into the region by visitors, while consumers, businesses and governments are all spending more on everything from wellness real estate to public health to healthy eating.”

For smaller markets, the growth stars include Croatia, Cuba, Romania, Costa Rica and Kazakhstan.

The new research is a story of global growth for wellness: Each of the top 25 largest markets have surpassed their pre-pandemic (2019) sizes, most by sizable margins, despite economic challenges for many of the nations. 

The growth shows that, as GWI partner economist Thierry Malleret put it, the wellness industry is not only resilient—it resists shocks—but is “anti-fragile”: it actually improves under stress and shocks.

The US, which accounts for a staggering one-third (32%) of the total global wellness economy, is a striking example of that. 

If a record number of Americans report high stress and a healthcare system in crisis, its wellness market remains unstoppable. 

It grew by over $130 billion just between 2023 and 2024—a gain roughly the size of Italy and Australia’s entire wellness markets. 

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