One cannot talk about the fitness industry without talking about the Pandemic. Thousands of gyms and fitness centers closed, professionals in the sector lost jobs, and people were confined to their homes.
The below fitness industry statistics will shed some light on this development, the impact Covid had on the market, as well as provide you with some general insight on the industry itself.
10 Fitness Industry Statistics for 2023
Millennials own the largest segment of gym memberships.
More than a tenth of all new gym memberships start in January.
The Dutch exercise 12.8 hours weekly, while Americans exercise only 6.3 hours, on average.
The European fitness market dropped from $31.26 billion in 2019, down to $18.56 in 2021.
Crossfit gained 122,000 new members between 2021 and 2022.
The online and virtual fitness industry had a value of $6.046 million in 2019.
Treadmills are the most popular piece of gym equipment.
Less than a quarter of the US believe a gym membership is an essential expense.
Advanced wearable fitness tech will be the hot new thing in 2023.
The Pandemic led to the shutdown of one-third of all fitness clubs worldwide.
The Fitness Industry and Its Customers
First, let's open up this topic with some info on the customers, some data on the fitness fanatics, and the hopefully former couch potatoes sticking to their New Year’s resolutions.
At 35%, Millennials (ages 21 to 40) make up the highest number of gym and health club members in the US.
Next, Gen X-ers, ages 41 to 55, represent 22% of the gym membership market. Boomers, ages 56 to 75, are at 21%, while Gen Z, younger than 21, are 16%.
The silent generation, 76 and up, make up 6%.
(Global Wellness Summit - IHRS Media Report)
College graduates, and people with high salaries, are the most common gym membership holders.
Fitness statistics show that 20.59% of all gym members in the US have a college degree, and 25.02% have an annual salary higher than $100,000.
People with some form of post-grad studies under their belt make up 12.29% of the market, and also in second place are individuals earning between $75,000 and $100,000.
Individuals currently in highschool, or only have 1 to 3 years of a high school education, make up the lowest number of membership holders, at 3.94%, as are individuals making less than $25,000 a year, at 6.68%.
(Global Wellness Summit - IHRS Media Report)
Caucasians make up 66.34% of gym members in the US.
Hispanics make up 12.78%, African Americans are at 12.3%, while 7.19% of all gym memberships are held by the Asian/Pacific demographic.
However, when talking about this analysis of the fitness market, one needs to consider the racial makeup of the US. Caucasians make up 57.8%, Hispanics are at 18.7%, African Americans are at 12.1%, while Asian/Pacific Islanders are roughly at 5.4%.
(Global Wellness Summit - IHRS Media Report)
Only 22% of Americans believe a gym membership is an essential life expense.
In comparison, 59% of Americans believe dining out is a basic life expense, 61% think the same of traveling.
If we look at people’s ages, 28% of Millenials believe a gym membership is a must, compared to 22% of Boomers, and 19% of Gen X-ers.
(Club Intel)
Covid, Attendance, and Injuries
Covid’s impact on the industry cannot be understated. But, besides the Pandemic’s impact, let's take a general look at memberships and attendance as well.
Covid shut down a third of fitness clubs worldwide.
In 2020, gym memberships were at an all-time high. However, once the Pandemic struck, fitness statistics and market data shows that the US fitness industry lost $20.4 billion that year. In comparison, it generated $35 billion in revenue the year before.
Furthermore, 17% of all US clubs closed their doors. On a global level, certain countries had 40%, and even 50%, of their clubs shut down.
(IHRSA 2021 Global Report)
Covid infection rates at US gyms were at 0.002%, on average.
In fact, the IHRS report that there is no “statistically significant association” between getting Covid and going to the gym.
In comparison, in Colorado, 27% of all infections came from healthcare locations, and only 0.03% from gyms. In Los Angeles, 21% came from bars and restaurants, and only 2.5% from fitness centers.
In Massachusetts, 0.2% came from gyms (as well as pools, casinos, and beaches), while 87.6% came from households.
(Global Wellness Summit - IHRS Media Report)
Before the Pandemic, there were 205,000 gym and fitness clubs around the world.
In the US alone, there were 41,370. Furthermore, gym membership statistics show that 64.2 million Americans were members of at least one club.
The number of clubs dropped to 34,337 in 2020, and then hit an all-time low in 2022, being at 31,028.
(IHRSA)
In 2021, exercise equipment accounted for 409,224 injuries in the US.
There were also 375,797 injuries caused by bicycles and bicycle accessories, and another 259,779 injuries obtained while people were playing basketball.
In comparison, there were 10,158 non-powder gun (BBs, pellets) injuries, 15,559 boxing injuries, and 15,882 track and field injuries.
The demographic with the highest number of injuries in almost all areas was the 25 to 64 age group, due to its size. However, by far the highest number of golfing injuries were suffered by the 65+ age group, at 24,474 injuries, while the most basketball injuries, 127,219 (half of all of them) were suffered by the 15 to 24 group.
Note that this data refers only to sports injuries.
(Insurance Information Institute)
12% of all new gym memberships are submitted in January.
Furthermore, 21% of all members claim they go to the gym every day. Gym attendance by week varies significantly - 38% of poll responders state they go multiple times a week, while 15% go only once a week.
Finally, 18% of gym membership owners don't go at all.
(Statista)
The Dutch and the Germans are the most active people in the world.
The Dutch exercise, on average, 12.8 hours per week, the Germans get in 11.1 hours, while the Romanians are at 11 hours. Canadians are at 6.6 hours, while in the United States people exercise around 6.3 hours, on average, every week.
Brazilians and the Japanese are the least physically active, getting 3 and 3.3 hours per week, respectively.
(World Economic Forum)
The Fitness Industry Market and Trends
Finally, let's dive into some more data on trends, markets, and the financial aspects of the industry as a whole.
Boutique gym memberships, on average, cost $39 more than regular gym memberships, in the US.
In the health and fitness industry, boutique fitness studios and gyms represent highly specialized facilities, usually on the smaller end, with a more personal atmosphere.
These are more expensive, with an average membership costing $90, compared to the $51 an average gym would charge.
(Global Wellness Summit - IHRS Media Report)
Globally there will be 230 million fitness club members by the end of 2030.
Even though the industry itself took a hit, the future of the fitness industry, on a global level, is bright.
With a potential 230 million members, 2.6% of the entire global population in 2030 (when taking into account current population growth rates) will be a part of some sort of fitness club or gym.
(Club Industry Consulting)
Between 2019 and 2021, the value of the European fitness market dropped from $31.26 billion to $18.56 billion.
A similar drop happened to memberships, dropping from 65.26 million members in 2019, down to 56.29 members in 2021.
The top free countries in Europe, by fitness market size, had similar drops in revenue as well. Germany was at 5.51 billion euros in 2019, and dropped to 2.23 billion in 2021. The Uk dropped from 5.51 to 2.65 between 2019 and 2020, but received a boost, rising to 3.56 billion in 2021.
Similarly, Span had a market size of 2.35 billion, dropped to 1.34, and then moved upwards to 1.58 in 2021.
(Deloitte)
Cardiovascular training equipment is the most popular and has the highest predicted growth.
In 2020, the fitness equipment market was valued, on a global level, at $11.6 billion. Fitness industry market research also shows that it will reach $14.8 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.3%.
(Allied Market Research)
Crossfit is still growing, gaining 122,000 new members between 2021 and 2022.
Crossfit growth statistics show that this popular discipline is still growing. Furthermore, CrossFit HQ states that they want, and expect, to have a total of more than 100 million active members by 2031.
(Best Gym Hacks)
In 2021, the home fitness industry was valued at $3.84 billion.
Furthermore, home fitness industry statistics show that it will grow at a CAGR of 5.2, between 2022 and 2028.
Learning how to work from home was just part of adapting to the Pandemic. Learning how to exercise was also important, which led to a solid boost for the home fitness equipment industry.
(PR News Wire)
The online and virtual fitness industry had a value of $6.046 million in 2019.
Furthermore, online fitness industry statistics show that it will reach $59,321 million by 2027, if it grows in accordance with its predicted CAGR of 33.1%.
The most popular segment of this aspect of the industry was on-demand streaming. However, allied market research predicts live streaming will have the strongest effect.
(Allied Market Research)
On a global level, the boutique fitness market had a value of $49.3 billion in 2021.
Boutique fitness industry statistics show that some of the core reasons behind this growth are:
Rising middle class
Growing urbanization
Increased disposable income
While North America will hold the largest share of this market, due to the above factors, the APAC region will see the fastest growth.
(Global News Wire)
Treadmills are the most popular piece of gym equipment.
A study from 2022 analyzed Google searches in order to get an overview of what the most popular piece of fitness equipment is.
This analysis showed that treadmills had the highest number of searches by far - 290,710. Dumbbells are at 89,700, while exercise bikes are at 81,280.
(About Town)
Wearable fitness technology will be the defining trend for the industry in 2023.
Wearable fitness tech (gadgets that measure your health status, heartbeat, provides GPS services…) have been a thing for some time now.
However, they are becoming more specialized, more precise, and most important of all, are becoming more affordable for the average consumer.
According to relevant fitness industry statistics , we will also see more focus on free weight training, body weight training, as well as programs for older adults.
(Club Industry)
Conclusion
While the Pandemic did do a number on the industry, awareness of the importance of fitness is growing on a global level. The industry is slowly recovering in the US, and it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
FAQ
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