Which are the biggest wellness markets in Europe?

In February 2022, the Global Wellness Institute published a global analysis of this business. A true goldmine for understanding how the European wellness market is doing vs. the rest of the world! We list below the main points to remember about the different wellness sectors.

Read the whole study

Despite Covid-19, Europe is still a major player in the worldwide market

In 2020, global wellness sales totaled $4.4 billion. The biggest market was Asia-Pacific ($1.5 billion), followed by North America ($1.3 billion) and Europe ($1.1 billion). 

North America and Europe spent the most per capita on wellness products and services in 2020, respectively $3,567 and $1,236.

It should be noted that in Europe, Germany, the United Kingdom and France are in the world top 6 for wellness. The three other countries in the lead are the United States, China and Japan. This classification is unchanged since 2017, despite the Covid-19 pandemic which had a very negative impact on the wellness sector.

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Tourism, spa and hydrotherapy: particularly important wellness sectors in Europe

The three most important sectors in Europe follow the same trend as everywhere else—beauty and personal care, nutrition and weight loss, and physical activity.

However, several elements make Europe different from the other wellness markets:

• Europe is the biggest market for spas in the world ($25.2 billion).
• For wellness tourism, Europe is on the heels of the United States ($160.3 billion) and is second worldwide. Some countries, like Greece, have adopted a paying strategy to develop this kind of tourism which is much in demand!
• Hydrotherapy is the smallest sector in terms of revenues ($14.7 billion) but the second market in the world after Asia-Pacific.

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The main wellness countries in Europe

Although markets all over the world declined between 2019 and 2020 because of Covid-19, the sector grew in one country—the Netherlands, up 1.7%.

In 2020, the biggest European wellness markets were:

• Germany ($223.9 billion)
• The United Kingdom ($158.4 billion)
• France ($133.1 billion)
• Italy ($91.8 billion)
• Russia ($71.4 billion)
• Spain ($62.6 billion)
• The Netherlands ($41 billion)
• Switzerland ($38.2 billion)
• Turkey ($34.6 billion)
• Austria ($32.3 billion)

Unclassified, Iceland and Norway stand out by their very high annual average per capita expenditure — $3,728 and $3,346 respectively. A performance which positions them in 2nd and 5th place in the world as regards income generated per capita, the first being Switzerland with $4,372.

Ideally based in a dynamic area for wellness, Piscine Global Europe invites you to an international event in the forefront of innovation. To boost your business, discover the trends which will reshape the wellness landscape and meet other sector professionals!

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