Homeopathy use around the world

Worldwide

• Worldwide, over 200 million people use homeopathy on a regular basis.1, 2
• Homeopathy is included in the national health systems of a number of countries e.g. Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

India

• India leads in terms of number of people using homeopathy, with 100 million people depending solely on homeopathy for their medical care.1
• There are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors currently, with approximately 12,000 more being added every year.3

Europe

• 100 million EU citizens, some 29% of the EU’s population, use homeopathic medicines in their day-to-day healthcare.2
• Homeopathy is practised in 40 out of 42 European countries.4

France

• Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic medicine for ‘flu, is one of the best selling over-the-counter medicines in France.5

UK

• 10% of people in the UK use homeopathy – an estimated 6 million people.6
• In Britain, the market for homeopathy is growing at around 20% per year.  In 2007, it was estimated to be worth £38m, and is projected to reach £46m in 2012.7
• In the NHS approx. 40,000 homeopathic prescriptions are provided to patients per year by doctors working within the homeopathic service. There were originally 5 homeopathic hospitals (Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Bristol and Tunbridge Wells). Tunbridge Wells closed in 2007 and earlier this year the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital changed its name to the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine.8
• There are ~ 400 doctors in the UK that use homeopathy, regulated by the Faculty of Homeopathy and promoted by the British Homeopathic Association.8
• There and ~1,500 professional homeopaths (non-medically qualified homeopaths) in the UK,9 regulated by the Society of Homeopaths (65%), Alliance of Registered Homeopaths and Homeopathic Medical Association. They largely operate in private practice outside the NHS.
• See NHS spending on homeopathy

US

• According to the National Institutes of Health, over 6 million people in the United States use homeopathy, mainly for self-care of specific health conditions.
• Of those who use homeopathy, ~1 million are children and over 5 million are adults.10, 11
  

1. Prasad R. Homoeopathy booming in India. Lancet, 2007; 370:1679-80 | Full Text
2. Homeopathic medicinal products. Commission report to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of Directives 92/73 and 92/74 | Full Text
3. Ghosh AK. A short history of the development of homeopathy in India. Homeopathy, 2010;99(2):130-6 | PubMed
4. Legal Status of Traditional Medicine and Complementary/Alternative Medicine: A Worldwide Review, World Health Organization, 2001 | Full Text
5. Vickers AJ, Smith C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2006; 3: CD001957 | Link
6. Professor Woods of the MHRA, response to Q211, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee hearing of evidence in preparation of Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy report (London: The Stationery Office Limited, 2010) | Full Text
7. Mintel, Complementary Medicines, April 2007 | Link
8. Faculty of Homeopathy | Link
9. Society of Homeopaths | Link
10. Black LI, et al. Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Children Aged 4–17 Years in the United States: National Health Interview Survey, 2007–2012. National Health Statistics Reports, 2015; 78: February | Link
11. Clarke TC, et al. Trends in the Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Adults: United States, 2002–2012. National Health Statistics Reports, 2015; 79: February | Link
    

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