Wellness real estate has long been associated with luxury residences, branded amenities, and lifestyle-driven housing projects. New research from Global Wellness Institute (GWI) suggests the sector is now moving into a far broader phase, one increasingly tied to urban regeneration, public infrastructure, workplace environments, and large-scale mixed-use development.
The organisation’s latest market update values the global wellness real estate sector at $876bn in 2025, up from $151bn in 2017, which represents a 24.5% CAGR. The market is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing segments within the wider construction and real estate industry.
What stands out in the data is not only the pace of expansion, but also the scale and typology of projects now being grouped under wellness-focused development. Across multiple regions, developers are increasingly applying wellness principles to entire districts rather than standalone residential assets.
Wellness shifts from amenities to urban systems
According to the report, wellness real estate expanded by 23% between 2024 and 2025, while overall global construction grew by 3% during the same period. The sector has averaged annual growth of 23.6% since 2019.
The research defines wellness real estate as built environments designed and operated to support the health and well-being of occupants, visitors, and surrounding communities. That definition now extends well beyond residential projects.
Among the projects highlighted in the report is Sports Boulevard in Riyadh, an 84-mile linear park and urban regeneration initiative that combines green infrastructure, sports facilities, and more than 32 million square feet of mixed-use private development. The project reflects a growing shift toward integrating wellness into mobility, public space, and civic infrastructure.
Expo City Dubai is presented as a wellness-focused adaptive reuse district designed to accommodate residents, workers, and public open space within a mixed-use urban framework. The project spans 865 acres and includes 74 acres of open space.
The report also points to workplace environments becoming part of the wellness real estate conversation. Aldar, the Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer and manager, converted retail space into its 200,000ft2 headquarters on Yas Island, while Red Sea Global developed a 226,000ft2 headquarters in Riyadh designed for 1,600 employees.
Mixed-use masterplans drive sector expansion
Many of the projects examined in the report are master-planned communities operating at the district scale. They combine residential, commercial, hospitality, educational, and recreational uses within a single development strategy.
The Sustainable City Yas Island includes residential units, retail space, and community infrastructure within a 99-acre mixed-use development. Meanwhile, Ghaf Woods introduces a “forest living” concept across a 182-acre site containing 5,000 apartments alongside retail and entertainment components.
The report also highlights Misk City, a 791-acre urban district planned around education, open space, housing, and commercial functions. The development, which is the world’s first non-profit city, allocates 40% of its land to preserved open space and includes schools, retail, leisure, and office space.
According to GWI senior research fellows Katherine Johnson and Ophelia Yeung, many of the projects place sustainability, inclusivity, placemaking, and community wellbeing at the centre of their design and operational strategies.
Global growth broadens beyond traditional luxury markets
While the USA remains the world’s largest wellness real estate market at $254bn, China reached $218bn in 2025, followed by the UK at $51bn.
The report identifies strong growth across multiple regions rather than a concentration within a few mature luxury markets. Asia-Pacific currently leads all regions at $350bn, followed by North America at $274bn and Europe at $205bn.
Saudi Arabia recorded annual growth of 33.9% between 2019 and 2025, while Italy and Spain posted the highest annual growth rates among the top national markets at 50.2% and 46.1%, respectively. India reached a wellness real estate market size of $20.5bn in 2025, with annual growth of 26.5%.
The research also suggests wellness is increasingly being used as a development differentiator across large-scale projects. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE alone, the report estimates more than 555,000 wellness-focused residential units are currently in the pipeline, with wellness real estate accounting for more than 12% of total construction activity in both countries.
