Australia has one of the fastest growing wellness economies in the Asia Pacific region, according to the first data collected about the country’s wellness industry by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI).

GWI defines the wellness economy as industries that enable consumers to incorporate wellness activities into their daily lives – and Australia’s grew by AUS$126.7 billion (US$85.9 billion, €74 billion, £64 billion) between 2022 and 2023.

The country has the fourth largest wellness economy in the region – out of 45 countries – behind China (AUS$870.4 billion, US$590.2 billion, €508 billion, £437 billion), Japan (AUS$254.8 billion, US$172.8 billion, €149 billion, £128 billion) and India (AUS$148 billion, US$100.4 billion, €86 billion, £74 billion).

This new data shows that in 2023, the size of Australia’s overall wellness economy places the country 10th in the global rankings, out of 218 countries. This represents an uplift from its 13th ranking in 2019.

Key areas of growth for Australia’s wellness economy between 2022–23 include:

• Wellness tourism (up 32.9 per cent)
• Thermal/mineral springs (up 21.5 per cent)
• Wellness real estate (up 13.9 per cent)
• Mental wellness (up 10.1 per cent)
• Physical activity (up 9.4 per cent)

Wellness real estate is one of Australia’s most robust wellness sectors, worth AUS$25.7 billion (US$17.4 billion, €15 billion, £13 billion) in 2023. The size of its wellness real estate sector means the country ranks second in Asia Pacific in this market, after China, and fourth worldwide.

Its other wellness sectors that rank in the top ten globally include:

• Physical activity – worth AUS$24.2 billion (US$16.4 billion, €14 billion, £12 billion),
• Wellness tourism – worth AUS$19 billion (US$12.9 billion, €11 billion, £9.5 billion) and
• Workplace wellness – worth AUS$1.04 billion (US$710 million, €610 million, £530 million)

Susie Ellis, GWI chair and CEO, said, “With beautiful landscapes, a growing wellness real estate market and a strong sports and fitness tradition, it’s no wonder Australia ranks in the top 10 wellness economies globally.”

The 2025 Global Wellness Economy: Australia report is available on GWI’s Geography of Wellness platform due to a new partnership with Anytime Fitness, Australia’s largest gym network.