Health Tech Study

Munich / Frankfurt am Main, 30/06/2026  A study by the global management consultancy Oliver Wyman, a Marsh company, and the industry organization GFU Consumer & Home Electronics shows that health technologies have become part of consumers’ everyday lives and will continue to gain importance in the coming years. According to the survey “Health Tech in Bloom? From Wellbeing to Longevity,” 90 percent of respondents worldwide own at least one device that supports personal health. More than one in four respondents even has five or more health-tech devices. Wearables are the most widespread, led by smartwatches. Smart scales, fitness trackers, and blood pressure monitors are also very popular. In China, such health technology is used most frequently: seven out of ten people (70 percent) own five or more devices. In Germany, this is the case for one third (33 percent). For the study, around 4,000 people in six countries were surveyed – in addition to Germany and China, also in Brazil, India, South Korea, and the USA. In Germany, around 1,000 people took part in the representative survey.

In Germany and Brazil, an above-average number of people said they were stressed (72 percent). The perceived stress level is significantly lower in China (55 percent) and the USA (56 percent). The vast majority in China (95 percent) and India (91 percent) plan to purchase a new health-tech device within a year. In Germany (58 percent) and the USA (55 percent), the figure is still slightly more than half. In addition, three quarters of respondents worldwide plan to replace at least one device within the next twelve months.

Between June 2025 and May 2026, spending on personal health goals per person in the countries examined averaged 400 euros per year. One quarter of spending is attributable to health-tech devices; in addition, apps, gym subscriptions, dietary supplements, and spa treatments are also highly popular – medical operations and treatments were not included in the survey. Spending patterns in the health-tech sector point to a stable and growing market. This shows that the segment represents an important building block in an already existing and growing ecosystem and should not be regarded as a short-term trend.

In terms of per capita spending, Germany ranks second at 390 euros, closely followed by the USA (360 euros) and Brazil (330 euros), but significantly behind China (600 euros). Respondents in China and India in particular (55 and 54 percent, respectively) supplement a device purchase with a subscription, for example for personal health tips or comprehensive data analysis, thereby leading the subscription trend. Germany is in the middle of the field here (24 percent). Around half of consumers in the key international markets (49 percent) said they wanted to increase their spending on personal health. India is proving to be a growth market in this respect, at 73 percent.

About Oliver Wyman: Oliver Wyman is a Marsh company (NYSE: MRSH), a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people, and investment management and strategy consulting services. With clients in 130 countries, annual revenue of over US$27 billion, and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh brings together diverse perspectives and supports clients in achieving their goals. For more information, visit us at oliverwyman.de or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Editor’s note: For better readability, we use the generic masculine. This decision is not directed against inclusion: all personal designations naturally apply to all genders and identities. At GFU, what matters is what someone contributes to the industry – not the form in which we refer to him or her.