Ayush Sector Expands Women's Workforce Participation in India

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 8 October 2026

The Ayush services sector is becoming an important source of employment for women, with female representation exceeding 50 per cent in several organised segments, according to a recent assessment of the sector.

Women currently account for 43 per cent of the overall Ayush services workforce, while their participation is above 50 per cent in hospitals, day-care centres, educational institutions and wellness establishments.

The Ayush services economy covers Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. It was valued at US$36.92 billion in FY2024-25, recording a 16.91 per cent CAGR since FY2022-23 and supporting an estimated 1.76 million livelihoods across healthcare, wellness, education and allied services.

Unlike any other sector, the employment potential of the Ayush services sector is being reiterated by Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (IC) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, who said that the sector creates meaningful jobs on the health-care, wellness, education and allied services.

Key Highlights:

• Women make up 43 per cent of the Ayush services workforce, with higher representation in several organized segments
• The Ayush services economy reached US$36.92 billion in FY2024-25 and supports 1.76 million livelihoods
• The Ayush sector is projected to reach US$216–318 billion by 2047, creating more employment opportunities

It has not only helped in making India's healthcare ecosystem strong but also provided a chance for the entrepreneurs and also women to develop their skills and be a part of the workforce. The study by RIS, released recently on Ayurveda Day 2026, shows that women participation is very much important in organized establishments of Ayush.

In day-care centers, educational institutes, spas and wellness resorts there are more than 60 per cent of women, while there are 58 per cent in educational institutes, 57 per cent in day-care centres, and 53 per cent in hospitals. The study reveals the increasing contribution of women in various segments of the Ayush services ecosystem, such as healthcare services, education, wellness and allied services.

The sector has a wide employment base with over one million livelihoods in local and standalone clinics, both in urban and rural settings. The development of organized Ayush services with quality standards, skilling, digital infrastructure, and better institutional networks, can thus offer a good opportunity to boost the number and quality of jobs through the Ayush sector.

The involvement of women in the organized Ayush establishments also reflects the ability of the sector in contributing towards inclusive economic growth.Clinics without a base (or “standalone”) continues to be the largest revenue generator, accounting for an estimated US10.13 billion. The two segments account for over 70 per cent of the sector's revenues. Ayurveda continues to be the largest of the individual systems accounting for US$17.73 billion, which is about 48 per cent of the total revenue of Ayush services.

The wellness segment is seeing a significant growth of 21.29 per cent CAGR, while the yoga centers saw revenue growth in the region of 75 per cent over two years which signify the escalating demand for preventive health and wellness services. Medical Value Travel (MVT) is also on the rise in the sector, with estimated sales of US$1.77 billion during FY2024-25.

While international patients make up about 5 per cent of patient volumes, they also represent around 15-25 per cent of the hospital segment's revenue, although they generally spend 5 to 11 days in the hospital.

While the current value of the Ayush services industry is estimated at US 36.92 billion in FY 2024–25, the growth has been projected to reach an estimated US 216-318 billion by 2047, offering significant employment opportunities in various segments such as healthcare delivery, wellness, education, medical travel, research, digital health and allied services.