Ten figures we are willing to defend. Each carries its source, publication date and a confidence grade. Stock (consumer spending) and flow (venture capital) are labelled and never mixed.
US$ 6.8T
Global wellness economy, 2024 — nearly 4× the pharmaceutical industry, growing at about twice the pace of world GDP
Consumer spending across 11 sectors; 6.1% of world GDP. Projection: US$ 9.8T by 2029 (GWI).
Global Wellness Institute, Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025Nov 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
US$ 2.3T
Annual consumer spending on healthy eating and physical activity combined
Healthy eating, nutrition & weight loss US$ 1,148.0B; physical activity US$ 1,143.9B (2024).
Global Wellness Institute, Monitor 2025Nov 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
US$ 894B
Wellness tourism in 2024 — the fastest-growing wellness sector that year (+13.8%), with travelers spending 2× the average tourist
1.24 billion wellness trips; 8.3% of trips and 17.6% of tourism spend. Projection US$ 1.38T by 2029.
Global Wellness Institute, Monitor 2025Nov 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
+12% / yr
Growth of consumer spending on mental wellness since 2019 — the second-fastest wellness sector (US$ 268B in 2024)
Consumer products and services (sleep, meditation, apps), not clinical spending.
Global Wellness Institute, Monitor 2025Nov 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
1B+
People living with a mental health condition; depression and anxiety alone cost the world economy about US$ 1 trillion a year
Cost figure is a WHO estimate first published in 2016 and reiterated since.
World Health OrganizationSep 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
2.1B
People aged 60+ by 2050 — double today's figure
1.4B by 2030; the 80+ group triples to 426M by 2050.
World Health Organization, Ageing and healthOct 2025Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
2070s
When people aged 65+ will outnumber children under 18 worldwide
1 in 6 people will be 65+ by 2050, versus 1 in 11 in 2019.
UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024Jul 2024Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
US$ 14.2B
US digital health venture funding in 2025 (+35%) — but 42% went to just 26 mega-rounds
482 rounds of US$ 2M+. Mental health was the top-funded clinical area for the 7th year.
Rock Health, 2025 year-end funding overviewJan 2026Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
US$ 8.5B
Investment in longevity companies in 2024, more than double 2023 — 84% of it in the United States
Single source, biotech-heavy scope. 2025 figures use a narrower definition and are not comparable.
Longevity.Technology, Annual Longevity Investment Report 2024May 2025Confidence: B — single reliable source, or a projection
US$ 125B
Brazil's wellness economy — 11th largest in the world and 1st in Latin America
2024 data across 11 sectors.
Global Wellness Institute, Country Rankings 2026Jan 2026Confidence: A — primary source, public method, under 18 months old
The dimensions map onto sectors that are already large. Values in US$ billion.
Global Wellness Institute, Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025 (2024 data) · Nov 2025 · US$ billion
* Figure under verification: a second extraction of the same report gives a different value. Shown for scale only.