Women account for 43% of Ayush services workforce, says Centre’s report

Women account for 43% of the workforce in India’s Ayush services sector, with their representation crossing 50% in several organised segments, including hospitals, day-care centres, educational institutions and wellness establishments, according to a new assessment of the sector released by the Central government on Thursday (October 8, 2026).

The Ayush Services Sector Report, prepared by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and released on Ayurveda Day 2026, estimates that the sector supports 1.76 million livelihoods across healthcare, wellness, education and allied services.

Women’s representation is highest in spas and wellness resorts, where it exceeds 60%, followed by educational institutions at 58%, day-care centres at 57% and hospitals at 53%, says the report.

The findings come as the Ayush services economy expands beyond traditional clinical practice into wellness, education, preventive health and medical value travel.

16.91% growth

The sector, comprising Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy, was estimated at $36.92 billion in 2024-25. It has registered a compound annual growth rate of 16.91% since 2022-23.

Standalone clinics remain the largest segment, generating an estimated $16.21 billion, or 43.9% of the sector’s revenue. Day-care centres contribute another $10.13 billion. Together, the two segments account for more than 70% of the sector’s revenue.

“More than one million livelihoods are concentrated in local and standalone clinics, underlining the sector’s employment footprint across urban and rural areas,’’ says the report.

The wellness segment has recorded a 21.29% compound annual growth rate, while yoga centres registered about 75% growth in revenue over two years, according to the assessment.

Ayurveda remains the largest individual Ayush system, accounting for $17.73 billion, or about 48% of the total services revenue.

The sector is also gaining a foothold in medical value travel. Ayush-related medical value travel generated an estimated $1.77 billion in 2024-25. Although international patients account for only around 5% of patient volumes, they contribute an estimated 15-25% of hospital-segment revenue, with therapeutic programmes typically involving stays of five to 11 days.

The assessment projects that the Ayush services economy could expand to between $216 billion and $318 billion by 2047.

Job opportunities

Union Minister of State for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav said the sector’s expansion was creating employment opportunities across healthcare, wellness, education and allied services, while also opening avenues for entrepreneurship and women’s participation.

The report projects further employment opportunities in healthcare delivery, wellness, education, medical travel, research, digital health and allied services as the sector expands.