Global Wellness Institute report reveals boom in Saudi Arabia wellness economy

October 31, 2024

Global Wellness Institute report reveals boom in Saudi Arabia wellness economy

Non-profit Global Wellness Institute (GWI), has released new data on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s $19.8 billion wellness economy. The report reveals Saudi Arabia’s wellness economy as one of the fastest-growing wellness markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with wellness tourism alone boasting an average annual growth rate of 66% (2020-2022).

Susie Ellis, GWI Chair and Chief Executive notes “Saudi Arabia’s wellness market has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth, driven by strategic investments outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which emphasises enhancing Saudi citizens’ health and wellbeing while fostering wellness tourism opportunities.

“In recent years, Saudi Arabia has not only rebounded from the downturn caused by the pandemic, but has also exceeded its pre-pandemic levels of 2019.”

The new report is available on GWI’s Geography of Wellness platform thanks to a partnership with Red Sea Global (RSG), a vertically integrated real estate developer with a diverse portfolio that includes luxury regenerative tourism destinations in Saudi Arabia, like The Red Sea and AMAALA.

The report is part of a year long partnership that has seen Red Sea Global attend international GWI events to showcase the growth of the wellness sector in the Kingdom and the supporting role played by key projects in its portfolio.

Lindsay Madden Nadeau, wellness director at Red Sea Global advised “Saudi Arabia is undergoing one of the most substantial and exciting transformations at any time in history. Vision 2030 is seeing the Kingdom establish a thriving nation and a vibrant society by creating new sectors to diversify its economy. One example is tourism, and within this, wellness tourism.

“Through a yearlong collaboration, culminating in this market report and a presence at the Global Wellness Summit in November, we have a baseline of actionable data that helps us understand the country’s current position and future direction.

“In 2025, we hope to continue working with GWI to improve the availability of such data, driving engagement with other key Saudi stakeholders, and promote awareness of this promising sector for local and international partners.”

AMAALA has partnered with world-leading brands and will be home to resorts operated by the likes of Clinique La Prairie, Equinox Hotels, Jayasom, Six Senses, Rosewood Hotels, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton, giving guests the opportunity to experience something new each time they visit or return to an experience they love.

Vision 2030 and Wellness Tourism

Tourism, including wellness tourism, is one of the pillars of Vision 2030 for creating a diverse, sustainable economy that offers a greater opportunity for Saudi people and the environment. UN Tourism singled out Saudi Arabia earlier this year for its historic milestone of welcoming over 100 million tourists to the country in 2023—hitting its target seven years early. It applauded the Kingdom’s strategic vision as it seeks to become a global tourism powerhouse. According to the government, tourism’s share of GDP in Saudi Arabia has already shot from a modest 3% to an impressive 7% since the launch of the Vision and is on track to reach its target of 10% by 2030. Red Sea Global estimates that AMAALA alone will contribute as much as $3 billion to the nation’s GDP upon completion, creating tens of thousands of new jobs in the region.

GWI’s data reflects this growth. In addition to the country’s wellness tourism sector experiencing a significant average annual growth rate of 66% (2020-2022), sectors adjacent to tourism, including thermal/mineral springs and spas, also had impressive growth rates of 41.5% and 35.6%, respectively. Additionally, the wellness real estate sector has also seen impressive growth of 23.4% annually since 2020.

Saudi Arabia Wellness Economy by Sector*

Below are Saudi Arabia’s wellness sector snapshots in order of market size. The list is in order of a sector’s total valuation, largest to smallest. The first number listed after the sector represents Saudi Arabia’s global ranking in comparison to 218 countries, the percentage indicates the annual growth rate from 2020 to 2022, and the final number is the sector’s valuation. More data can be found here, including a detailed, downloadable country report entitled The Global Wellness Economy: Saudi Arabia.

Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss: #27, +5.5%, $5.8B
Physical Activity: #25, +16.6%, $4.7B
Personal Care & Beauty: #41, +9.6%, $4.4B
Public Health, Prevention & Personalized Medicine: #25, +6.5%, $2.5B
Mental Wellness: #19, +10.9%, $1.1B
Spas: #31, +35.6%, $0.6B
Wellness Tourism: #67, +66%, $0.5B
Workplace Wellness: #15, +2.8%, $0.5B
Traditional & Complementary Medicine: #61, +5.3%, $0.2B
Wellness Real Estate: #39, +23.4%, $0.2B
Thermal/Mineral Springs: #111, +41.5%, $0.0B
Total Wellness Economy: #34, +10.6%, $19.8B

More information on the Global Wellness Institute

More information on Red Sea Global

Images. Credit: Visit Saudi

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