The major features of markets

In global terms, the health and well-being sector is one of the fastest growing business sectors. The reasons for growth are the rapid aging of the population and the challenges this poses. There has also been diversification in the service sector. The general rapid technological development and internationalization of the field are also powerful stimulators of growth.

The Health and Well-being Cluster Programme's branch of activity and the health and well-being markets can be divided into two main parts; Health and Well-being service markets and Health and Well-being technology markets. The Health and Well-being service markets are concerned with social and health services. The overall production of these fields amounted to about. 14,5 billion euros. The total volume of health and well-being technology enterprises was about 3 billion euros. In the service sector, the share of products made by the private service companies is small (accounting for 19% of the health service budget, and social services are even less, about 8,5%) and there are a large number of micro size enterprises (figures from 2004).