India’s Ayush services sector supported 1.76 million livelihoods in 2024-25, and women accounted for 43% of its overall workforce, according to a new study released by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) at the 11th Ayurveda Day celebrations in Nagpur on 23 September 2026.
The report pegs the sector’s economic contribution at $36.92 billion in 2024-25, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.91% since 2022-23. The RIS study is based on a nationally scaled survey of 15,914 establishments across all six Ayush systems: Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy.
More than one million of the 1.76 million jobs are concentrated in local and standalone clinics, which, along with day-care centres, generate over 71% of total sectoral revenue. Ayurveda remains the single largest system by revenue, contributing nearly 48%.
Women’s participation exceeds half the workforce in several organised segments. They form over 60% of the workforce in wellness establishments offering Ayush-based services, 58% in educational institutions, 57% in day-care centres and 53% in hospitals.
Union Minister of State for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav said: “For the first time, the economic contribution of the Ayush services sector has been measured through a nationally scaled, establishment-level survey covering all major Ayush systems.”
The RIS also stated: “Based on a nationally scaled survey of 15,914 establishments across all six Ayush systems, the findings show that an economy of USD 36.92 billion, growing at close to 17 per cent annually and supporting 1.76 million livelihoods, is no longer a peripheral sector but a dynamic, knowledge-based service economy.”
The report projects the Ayush services economy could expand to between $216 billion and $318 billion by 2047, linked to improvements in infrastructure, quality systems, workforce skills, digital capabilities and access to international markets.
