Opportunities and Impact of Wellness

Wellness is a massive and growing share of the world’s economy. Most recently measured by the Global Wellness Institute at $4.5 trillion, it accounts for roughly 5.6% of global economic output (2017 data). Wellness is now over half the size of global health expenditures, and it is a major force in the global economy. And yet, the
growth of the wellness industry has largely been a private-sector phenomenon,
off the radar of most government leaders, policymakers and economic developers.

As an industry, wellness has numerous potential cross-cutting implications for development—not only in terms of economic development, competitiveness and growth, but also in the arenas of health, urban planning, environmental and cultural sustainability, workforce, equity and diversity, social and cultural affairs, and much more. More broadly, wellness provides a new lens through which development can bring wide-ranging benefits for people, society and the planet alongside traditional economic growth objectives.

Wellness is Multidimensional

Physical:  Nourishing a healthy body through exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc;
Mental: Engaging the world through learning, problem-solving, creativity, etc;
Emotional Being aware of, accepting and expressing our feelings, and understanding the feelings of others.
Spiritual: Searching for meaning and higher purpose in human existence.
Social: Connecting and engaging with others and our communities in meaningful ways.
Environmental:  Fostering positive interrelationships between planetary health and human actions, choices and wellbeing.