Key takeaways:

• Wellness real estate is the fastest-growing sector in the global wellness economy, with it projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2029.
• Consumer demand for health-centric living is driving premium returns, with wellness-focused residential properties commanding 10-25% higher sale prices.
• The growth of wellness real estate is global but concentrated, with North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe making up 99% of the market.

Wellness real estate is no longer a niche; it is now a defining force in the global wellness economy. As consumers increasingly prioritize health, sustainability, and quality of life, wellness is reshaping not only how people live and work, but also where they live. The global wellness economy was valued at $6.3 trillion in 2023 and is projected to reach nearly $9 trillion by 2028, encompassing sectors such as personal care and beauty, fitness, mental health, and nutrition.

The nonprofit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released an update of its 2018 report,2025 Build Well to Live Well: The Future, which reveals that wellness real estate has been by far the fastest growing market in the 11-sector, $6.3 trillion global wellness economy, doubling from $225 billion in 2019 to $548 billion in 2024. This represents a 17.9% increase from 2023. The wellness real estate market is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2029, accounting for 3.3% of global annual construction output. The market grew at a rate of 19.5% annually from 2019 to 2024.

“In our view, wellness real estate is the most important sector in the global wellness economy, because it affects the enabling environment, the access, and equity of how we can all live with health and well-being,” said Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung, GWI’s Senior Researchers. “There is no going back to ignoring wellness, as we spend trillions of dollars each year to build homes, infrastructure, and places for work and play. It is our charge to make wellness real estate as compelling, understandable, and actionable as possible.”

BeautyMatter explores the key findings:

Regional Market Value

Regional markets with the fastest annual growth rate (from 2019 to 2024) are Latin America–Caribbean (24%), Middle East–North Africa (22.6%), and Europe (22.4%). The GWI projects 15.2% annual growth over the next five years, with the market reaching $1.1 trillion by 2029. 

• North America’s wellness real estate market was worth $100B in 2019, $207B in 2023, and $179B in 2024, showing an annual growth rate of 19%. 
• Asia-Pacific’s market was worth $77.5B in 2019, then $152B in 2023, and $179B in 2024, representing an 18.2% annual growth rate. 
• Europe’s market was worth $46B in 2019, then $103B in 2023, and $126B in 2024, representing a 22.6% annual growth rate.
• Middle East and Africa’s wellness real estate market was worth $710M in 2019, $1.5B in 2023, and $2B in 2024, representing a 22.6% annual growth rate.
• Latin America and the Caribbean were worth $550M in 2019, $1.3B in 2023, and $1.6B in 2024, showing a 24% annual growth rate in wellness real estate.
• Sub-Saharan Africa was worth $240M in wellness real estate in 2019, $1.3B in 2023, and $1.6B in 2024, showing a 24% annual growth rate.
• The market is densely concentrated in North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. Together, they make up 99% of the global total.
• The largest market is North America, which accounts for 44%.

National Market Value

• The US beauty market grew from $95B in 2019 to $223B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 18.8%. It accounts for 41% of the wellness real estate market.
• China's beauty market nearly doubled from $37B in 2019 to $86B in 2024, growing at an annual rate of 18.5%.
• The beauty market in the UK grew from $11B in 2019 to $38.5B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 29%.
• The beauty market in Australia grew from $16B in 2019 to $31B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 14.6%.
• France’s beauty market more than doubled, growing from $10B in 2019 to $29B in 2024, at a 24.5% annual growth rate.
• The beauty market in Japan grew from $8B in 2019 to $21B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 23.1%.
• The beauty market in Germany grew from $9B in 2019 to $19B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 16.5%.
• Canada’s beauty industry rose from $6B in 2019 to $16B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 22.6%.
• The beauty market in India grew from $6B in 2019 to $13B in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 20.3%.
• South Korea expanded its beauty market from $6B in 2019 to $12B in 2024, growing at 15.9% annually.
• Together, the US, Canada, China, Australia, Japan, UK, France, and Germany make up 85% of the national beauty market.

Furthermore, the wellness real estate sector continues to demonstrate strong commercial value, with global data indicating that mid- to high-end wellness-focused residential properties command a 10–25% price premium. On the commercial side, wellness-certified buildings achieve rental premiums of 4.4% to 7.7% per square foot. As consumer demand for health-centric living and working environments intensifies, these figures highlight the growing financial incentive for developers and investors to prioritize wellness-driven design and infrastructure. 

The GWI has identified 12 key growth opportunities in wellness real estate, including climate-resilient design, affordable healthy housing, inclusive co-living models, sensory-driven architecture, and wellness-led urban regeneration. This highlights how developers can meet rising consumer demand for more accessible, adaptive, and mentally enriching living environments.

As wellness continues to redefine the parameters of luxury, lifestyle, and longevity, wellness real estate is emerging as a transformational force. The sector’s explosive growth signals a profound shift in consumer expectations, where health, sustainability, and well-being are becoming essential components of how and where people live. Embedding wellness into the built environment is as good for people as it is for business.