AYUSH & Traditional Medicine

AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy — is India's traditional-medicine system, given a dedicated Ministry in 2014. The AYUSH industry, spanning medicines, wellness, yoga and medical tourism, grew several-fold to an estimated ~$24 billion, and International Yoga Day (from 2015) took Indian wellness global. The counter shows indicative AYUSH sector size.

BLISS AYURVEDA HEALTH CENTER (BAHC) is a unit of BLISS AYURVEDA India Private Limited an international organization and is located in Delhi · Karntheking · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

~$3 → 24 bn

AYUSH sector size

2014

Ministry of AYUSH created

Yoga Day

Global from 2015

AYUSH sector size

AYUSH sector size
Year	AYUSH sector size
2014	3 $ bn
2015	4 $ bn
2016	6 $ bn
2017	8 $ bn
2018	11 $ bn
2019	14 $ bn
2020	17 $ bn
2021	20 $ bn
2022	22 $ bn
2023	24 $ bn

2014

0$ bn

AYUSH sector size

20142023

Since 2014

Added

+21 $ bn

2014

3 $ bn

2023

24 $ bn

Why it matters AYUSH offers affordable, preventive and traditional healthcare and is a growing wellness industry — though it needs stronger evidence, quality control and integration with modern medicine.

AYUSH sector: ~$3 bn (2014) → ~$24 bn (2023, indicative)
Ministry of AYUSH (2014); International Yoga Day (2015)
Source: Ministry of AYUSH (indicative)

Enemas (vasthi) are one of five treatments making up panchakarma therapy. This is used in Ayurvedic medicine to cleanse or purge the body. T · Wikimedia contributor · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Ravi Raghuvanshi is a Senior Ayurveda Consultant and Speaker from India. He has Six Years Degree Course in Ayurveda Medicine Surgery fro · Abcravi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Most of the parts of this arum (Typhonium trilobatum) are used in traditional medicine in India. According to Ayurveda, the rhizome is used · Unknown Indian artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

History

AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy — is India's system of traditional medicine and wellness. In 2014 it was given a dedicated Ministry of AYUSH, and the industry, spanning medicines, supplements, wellness, yoga and medical tourism, grew several-fold to an estimated ~$24 billion.

Notable impact

The launch of International Yoga Day in 2015 — now marked worldwide on 21 June — took Indian wellness global and boosted soft power. AYUSH clinics and 'Health & Wellness Centres' extend affordable, preventive care in rural areas, and Ayurveda and yoga tourism draw growing numbers of international visitors.

How it works

AYUSH covers India's traditional systems of medicine — Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy — given a dedicated Ministry in 2014. The approach is to mainstream them alongside modern medicine: standardising practice and education, funding research to build evidence, integrating AYUSH wellness centres into the health system, and promoting the systems (especially Yoga) globally as both healthcare and a wellness industry.

Outlook

The AYUSH economy has grown many times over to roughly $24 billion, International Day of Yoga (June 21) is now marked worldwide, and the WHO's Global Centre for Traditional Medicine has been set up in Jamnagar. The task ahead is integrating the genuinely useful — building solid scientific evidence for what works, maintaining quality and safety standards, and growing the wellness-and-export opportunity, while resisting overclaiming so credibility holds up.

The road ahead

The task ahead is integrating the genuinely useful with modern science — strengthening clinical evidence, standardisation and quality control so traditional practice complements proven medicine.

By the numbers

~$3 → ~$24 bn AYUSH sector (2014→2023, indicative). Ministry of AYUSH (2014); International Yoga Day (2015). Sources: Ministry of AYUSH.

Source: Ministry of AYUSH — indicative AYUSH industry size (US$ billion), 2014–2023.