Saudi Arabia Is Now the World's Fastest-Growing Wellness Market, and No, That Doesn't Change Your Marketing

The Global Wellness Institute's 2019 figures named Saudi Arabia the fastest-growing wellness economy on earth, expanding at more than double the global rate. This includes practices like yours, in the loosest possible sense, since you are both technically in the wellness business.

Page updated: 13 Aug 2026

Whole-practice growth for wellness practices. Rooted in Wiltshire, UK, working worldwide.

Practices in the UK will not feel any warmer glow from Saudi Arabia's growth spurt, however striking the percentage looks written down.

Original Research	Saudi Arabia named the world's quickest-growing wellness economy for the 2019 to 2024 period
Source	https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/press-releases/global-wellness-institute-unveils-new-data-on-the-wellness-markets-of-145-countries/
Overview	The Global Wellness Institute tracked wellness spending across 145 countries and published growth projections as part of its ongoing global market monitoring.
Year	2019
Publisher	Industry body, Global Wellness Institute
Relevance to Wellbeing	Useful as background colour on how big and fast-growing wellness is globally, but of no practical use in planning a UK marketing campaign.
Our Verdict	Too early to tell the number is real enough, but it describes a national economy, not your client list.
Our Summary	It confirms wellness is still growing worldwide, which is a pleasant thing to know. The 12.2% figure describes a whole country's economy, not any single practice's takings. The release doesn't explain how growth was measured, so treat it as directional rather than precise. It makes a perfectly good opening line for a newsletter, if you enjoy sounding well-travelled.
Our Geo View	Applies broadly as a global growth snapshot, though the headline figure is specific to Saudi Arabia and tells you nothing about demand in the UK.

Abstract of wellbeing niches and revenue flow

Recognise how this might impact your practice

Why this might matter to you

Coaching: this matters because clients like hearing wellness is booming somewhere, even somewhere they've never been.
Therapy: this matters because it's a handy line for a newsletter, not a reason to reconsider your fees.
Training: this matters because global growth stats make a small gym sound like part of a bigger story, which is flattering.
Alternative Healing: this matters because it lends a bit of borrowed legitimacy to an industry still met with the odd raised eyebrow.
Clinical: this matters because clinics enjoy data, even data about a country they will never treat a patient in.
Retreat/Centre: this matters because retreat owners can drop Saudi Arabia's spa boom into conversation and sound like they follow the market closely.

Where this came from

The Global Wellness Institute reports that Saudi Arabia's wellness sector was growing at more than twice the pace of the rest of the world between 2019 and 2024.

Global Wellness Institute, press release, published as part of its wellness markets data release. Original figures date from 2019.

Credibility flags: methodology not disclosed in the release; sample size not disclosed; publisher is an industry body rather than an independent academic or government source.

How we scored this

A relevance score out of 100, built from three things: how well it fits the six practice types, how recent it is, and how solid the methodology behind it is.

31%

Practice fit, 50How new, 10How solid, 25

The relevance rating reflects a broad wellness-sector fit rather than a direct match to any of the six practice types, marked down for age given the figures are several years old, and marked down again on how solid the method is, since the growth calculation isn't explained anywhere in the release.

It's worth considering changes to your marketing practices

What this means for your marketing

Leave Saudi Arabia's growth figure out of local marketing entirely. It has nothing to do with your postcode.
Use "global wellness market" stats sparingly, and only in content aimed at showing you keep an eye on the wider industry.
If a client asks about wellness trends abroad, mention it briefly and move the conversation straight back to their own goals.
Brief your team that global growth headlines make good small talk, not good evidence for a sales page.
Save this one for a "did you know" social post rather than anything client-facing about outcomes.

Who this is most useful for

Practice type	Relevance	Recommended action
Coaching	Low	Mention only as light context, never as proof of demand.
Therapy	Low	Skip entirely for client-facing material.
Training	Low	Use as a passing fact in social content only.
Alternative Healing	Medium	Fine for a "wellness is booming" style post, nothing more.
Clinical Practices	Low	Not suitable for anything patient-facing.
Retreats/Centres	Medium	Reference lightly when talking about the global spa and retreat scene.

Best before

Best before: revisit once the Global Wellness Institute publishes updated country figures, or sooner if you plan to quote the exact percentage anywhere permanent.

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