Growing a health & wellness brand
Americans spent $5.3 trillion on health care in 2024, and 6 in 10 adults took a dietary supplement in 2021-23. Reach them on YouTube and Facebook, and keep supplement ads for adults.
How big is the health & wellness industry?
US health spending grew 7.2% to $5.3 trillion in 2024. The Global Wellness Institute values the US wellness economy at $2 trillion, the world's largest.
| Measure | Figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| National health spending | $5.3 trillion | 2024 |
| Health spending per person | $15,474 | 2024 |
| Health spending as a share of GDP | 18.0% | 2024 |
| US wellness economy | $2 trillion | 2023 |
| Global wellness economy | $6.8 trillion | 2024 |
The health spending figures come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the wellness figures from the Global Wellness Institute's research.[1, 2]
Who are health & wellness customers?
Women and older adults take dietary supplements most, and households 65 and older spend more on health care than younger ones.
| Group | What the figures show |
|---|---|
| Women 20 and older | 66.1% took a supplement in the past 30 days |
| Men 20 and older | 53.9% |
| Adults 60 and older | 75.9%, the highest of any age group |
| Households 65 and older | Spend $7,799 a year on health care |
Supplement figures cover August 2021 to August 2023; household spending is for 2024.[3, 4]
Which platforms should a health & wellness brand grow on?
YouTube and Facebook reach most US adults, including people 65 and older, whose households spend the most on health care.
| Platform | US adults | Ages 65 and older | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 84% | 65% | 83% |
| 70% | 59% | 77% | |
| 51% | 21% | 56% | |
| 33% | 20% | 33% |
Meta shows supplement and weight-loss ads only to people 18 and over, and bans claims to cure listed diseases such as diabetes and cancer. WhatsApp's business policy bans selling or promoting drugs and medical and healthcare products. Take bookings and sales on your .com, and read protecting your trademark once the name is filed. For protected health words, see naming a health & wellness brand.[4, 5, 6, 7, secondary]
Checks the .com, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and trademarks in one search.
Who are the top health & wellness creators?
Mary Claire Haver, Joel Bervell and Jay Shetty are on TIME's 2025 list of the 100 most influential creators.
| Creator | Known for | Named by |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Claire Haver | Ob-gyn known for menopause education; nearly 3 million Instagram followers in 2025 | TIME100 Creators 2025 (opens in a new tab) |
| Joel Bervell | Doctor known as the "medical mythbuster," correcting health misinformation | TIME100 Creators 2025 (opens in a new tab) |
| Jay Shetty | Former monk whose podcast, On Purpose, often ranks among Spotify's top US health and fitness shows | TIME100 Creators 2025 (opens in a new tab) |
Sources [8, secondary]
Which sites are the authorities on health & wellness?
CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, the FDA, NCCIH and the Global Wellness Institute are the main authorities on health and wellness.
| Site | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| CDC: National Center for Health Statistics (opens in a new tab) | The nation's principal health statistics agency | Health and supplement-use data |
| FDA: Dietary Supplements (opens in a new tab) | Regulates finished supplements and dietary ingredients | Supplement safety and labeling rules |
| NCCIH (opens in a new tab) | The federal lead agency for research on complementary and integrative health | Evidence on complementary health approaches |
| Global Wellness Institute (opens in a new tab) | A nonprofit and leading resource for wellness industry research | Wellness economy figures |
Sources (10)
- PrimaryCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services: NHE Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryGlobal Wellness Institute: US wellness economy valued at $2 trillion (opens in a new tab); 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor (opens in a new tab); and About GWI (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryCDC NCHS: Dietary Supplement Use, United States, August 2021–August 2023 (opens in a new tab), Data Brief No. 561, May 2026; and About NCHS (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryUS Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024 tables (opens in a new tab), by age (table 1300)
- SecondaryPew Research Center: Social Media Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab), survey of US adults
- PrimaryMeta: Health and Wellness ad standards (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryWhatsApp Business Policy (opens in a new tab), section 4
- SecondaryTIME100 Creators 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryFDA: Dietary Supplements (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryNCCIH: About (opens in a new tab)