Women account for 43 per cent of the overall Ayush services workforce in India, with female participation surpassing 50 per cent in several organised segments of the industry, the Ministry of Ayush said on 8 October 2026. The findings, released on Ayurveda Day 2026, underscore how India's traditional medicine sector is quietly becoming one of the more gender-inclusive corners of the healthcare economy.

Key Findings from the Ayush Services Report

The data comes from the Ayush Service Sector Report, a study conducted by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). The sector — encompassing Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy — shows particularly strong female representation in wellness-oriented sub-segments.

According to the report, women constitute more than 60 per cent of the workforce in spas and wellness resorts. Female representation stands at 58 per cent in educational institutes, 57 per cent in day-care centres, and 53 per cent in hospitals — all above the sector-wide average.

The Scale of the Ayush Economy

The Ayush services economy was estimated at US $36.92 billion in FY2024-25, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.91 per cent since FY2022-23. The sector directly supports around 1.76 million livelihoods across healthcare, wellness, education and allied services.

More than one million livelihoods are concentrated in local and standalone clinics alone, reflecting the sector's deep employment footprint across both urban and rural India. Standalone clinics are also the largest revenue-generating segment, contributing an estimated $16.21 billion — or 43.9 per cent of total sector revenue. Day-care centres added a further $10.13 billion, with the two segments together accounting for more than 70 per cent of industry revenue.

What the Government Said

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said the expansion of the Ayush sector is creating meaningful employment opportunities across multiple domains. He noted that growth in the sector is not only strengthening India's broader healthcare ecosystem but also opening avenues for entrepreneurship, skill development and greater participation of women in the workforce.

Why This Matters

The numbers are notable in the context of India's wider female labour force participation challenge, where women remain significantly underrepresented across most formal sectors. The Ayush sector's trajectory suggests that traditional medicine and wellness — often dismissed as informal or supplementary — are developing structured, scalable employment pathways, particularly for women. This is the first comprehensive mapping of women's contribution to the Ayush workforce at this level of segmental detail. With the sector growing at nearly 17 per cent annually, the employment dividend for women could widen considerably in the years ahead.