The Ministry of Ayush is positioning Ayurveda as a growing force in global healthcare, moving beyond its traditional margins into mainstream medical conversations. The announcement comes as India marks the 11th Ayurveda Day on September 23, 2026, with the theme “Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow”. The push reflects India’s effort to link centuries-old Ayurvedic knowledge with modern research, international standards and quality frameworks.
The Numbers and Current State
The Ayush sector has experienced rapid economic growth. The Ayush market expanded from USD 2.85 billion in 2014 to USD 43.4 billion in 2023. Exports during the same period grew from USD 1.09 billion to USD 2.16 billion.
Domestic acceptance of Ayurveda remains strong. An all-India survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office between July 2022 and June 2023 covered over 1.8 lakh households. It found awareness of Ayush systems at 94.8 per cent in rural areas and 96 per cent in urban areas. Around 46.3 per cent of rural residents and 52.9 per cent of urban residents reported using Ayush systems for treatment or prevention within the preceding year. Ayurveda was the most commonly used system among all Ayush disciplines.
In July 2026, NITI Aayog released a “Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global” aimed at the year 2047. The roadmap focuses on regulation, standards, research, education, international collaboration, exports and medical value travel. An Ayush Visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment was introduced on July 27, 2023.
India invested approximately USD 250 million in establishing the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, which opened in 2022. India hosted two WHO Global Summits on Traditional Medicine—one in Gandhinagar in August 2023 and another in New Delhi from December 17–19, 2025. In January 2024, the World Health Organization included Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani in the Traditional Medicine Module 2 of ICD-11, an international classification framework for documenting health conditions. The Ministry of Ayush maintains an Ayush Research Portal containing more than 43,000 research entries.
What this means for you
If you use or are interested in Ayurveda, the government is working to ensure treatments, products and professionals meet international quality standards and have stronger scientific backing. If you are considering Ayurvedic treatment abroad, India is developing dedicated wellness tourism circuits and visa facilities. Entrepreneurs and businesses in the Ayush sector may find growing opportunities through government support for startups and exports. The inclusion of Ayurveda in global health classification systems makes it easier for practitioners worldwide to document and report Ayurvedic treatments in internationally recognised ways.