Chicago, Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Circana LLC, a leader in turning consumer data into growth, today released The Global Health & Wellness Market: The Next Wave of Growth, a new report examining the forces shaping consumer wellness. Drawing on research from the U.S., U.K. and Australia, the report shows how manufacturers and retailers can make wellness easier for consumers to sustain.
The U.S. well-being market is worth $1.2 trillion, up 5% from a year ago, according to Circana. Across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, more than nine in 10 consumers prioritize wellness, yet satisfaction and daily habits vary by market. U.K. consumers are more likely than those in the U.S. to report getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and managing their weight, while Australian consumers are most likely to include home and environmental activities in their self-care routines.
“Consumers have made wellness a priority, and they are spending accordingly,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor at Circana. “The challenge now is follow-through. People are not short on motivation. They are short on time, direction, and simple next steps. The brands and retailers that take the work out of the routine and make the healthier choice the easier and more rewarding one, will lead the next wave of growth.”
Key Trends Shaping the Next Wave of Wellness Growth
Functional nutrition is now an everyday wellness priority. Half of U.S. adults are trying to consume more protein, up eight percentage points year over year, while GLP-1 medications are changing appetites and portion sizes. Local habits also shape the opportunity: Prepared healthy meals reach 38% of consumers in the U.K., compared with 23% in the U.S., underscoring the need to tailor wellness offerings by market.
Wellness is also expanding beyond physical health. One in four U.S. consumers often feels lonely, and alcohol-free social occasions are growing nearly three times faster than those involving alcohol. In Australia, 63% of consumers practice home or environmental self-care, compared with 54% in the U.S. and 52% in the U.K., highlighting the broader role of surroundings and connection in well-being.
AI is entering wellness routines differently across markets. U.K. users are especially likely to research symptoms with AI, while Australian users lead in AI-assisted nutrition and meal planning. In the U.K., women are 11 percentage points more likely than men to use AI for wellness, reversing the pattern in the U.S. and Australia. Despite growing adoption, consumers continue to rely most heavily on human guidance.
About Circana
Circana is a leader in providing technology, AI, and data to fast-moving consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers and retailers seeking to optimize their businesses. Circana’s predictive analytics and technology empower clients to measure their market share, understand the underlying consumer behavior driving it and accelerate their growth. Circana’s Liquid Data® technology platform is powered by an expansive, high-quality dataset, and intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise. With Circana, clients can take immediate action to future-proof and evolve their growth strategies amid an increasingly complex, fast-paced, and ever-changing economy. Learn more at circana.com.
