Lionel Sujay Vailshery
Research expert covering cloud computing and emerging tech industries
Meditation and mental wellness apps - statistics & facts
Developed as a category within health and fitness apps, mobile meditation apps have evolved from their original niche into functional digital tools for wellbeing and mental wellness.
In 2024, mental health was identified as the leading self-reported health issues for people worldwide, ahead of cancer, stress, and obesity. Meditation is a well-established practice for emotional regulation that has accompanied humans from different traditions and geographical backgrounds. In 2024, approximately two in 10 U.S. users reported practicing meditation or mindfulness as a form of self-care (1536117). The global market for meditation and mental wellness apps is estimated to surpass seven billion U.S. dollars by 2029, which represents a significant achievement for this recently launched niche in the app environment.
Mobile meditation apps enable user to practice mindfulness, to fall asleep, train in yoga, and engage in daily affirmation practices. Despite market leaders Calm and Headspace generating increasingly high in-app revenues via their subscription businesses, adoption and downloads of these apps have experienced a decrease since the end of the pandemic. The ever-growing need for mental health assistance among global users, as well as the rising awareness of the importance of mental well-being practices, will influence the development of meditation apps and drive their markets’ growth.
In 2024, mental health was identified as the leading self-reported health issues for people worldwide, ahead of cancer, stress, and obesity. Meditation is a well-established practice for emotional regulation that has accompanied humans from different traditions and geographical backgrounds. In 2024, approximately two in 10 U.S. users reported practicing meditation or mindfulness as a form of self-care (1536117). The global market for meditation and mental wellness apps is estimated to surpass seven billion U.S. dollars by 2029, which represents a significant achievement for this recently launched niche in the app environment.
Global adoption acceleration and trend normalization
The 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic provided global users with a set of unprecedented, worrisome factors, from health concerns to job insecurity. In this scenario of elevated stress and anxiety, meditation and mental wellness apps saw a sudden surge in organic adoption. In the mobile-guided meditation market, two companies have emerged as leaders: Calm and Headspace. Launched in May 2012, Calm was the highest-grossing meditation app worldwide in January 2025 with over 7.9 million U.S. dollars in revenues. Second-ranked Headspace was originally launched in 2010 in the United Kingdom and saw revenues of approximately 3.9 million U.S. dollars for the same period.Calm and Headspace: business
After acceleration in adoption during the pandemic years, the demand for meditation apps witnessed a staggering decrease, with market leaders Headspace and Calm experiencing a decrease in downloads of approximately 60 and 70 percent, respectively, between 2018 and 2024. Both apps operate on subscription models, with users being able to purchase monthly, yearly, or lifetime plans. While downloads have experienced a decrease for both Calm and Headspace, Calm has seen its revenue grow, especially during the first quarter of the years reaching in-app revenues of around 26 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2023, but falling back to 17 million U.S. dollars during the last quarter of 2024. In comparison, Headspace was able to maintain its second place and generate over 17 million U.S. dollars in revenues during the first quarter of 2022, but only managed revenues of around 11 million U.S. dollars during the last quarter of 2024.Mobile meditation apps enable user to practice mindfulness, to fall asleep, train in yoga, and engage in daily affirmation practices. Despite market leaders Calm and Headspace generating increasingly high in-app revenues via their subscription businesses, adoption and downloads of these apps have experienced a decrease since the end of the pandemic. The ever-growing need for mental health assistance among global users, as well as the rising awareness of the importance of mental well-being practices, will influence the development of meditation apps and drive their markets’ growth.
