Latest Gym Industry Facts and Statistics

Introduction

The global gym industry is growing exponentially with new gym members and new gym openings every year. The United States has the highest population of gym-goers which makes it a hot market for entrepreneurs. The COVID-19 pandemic restricted the use of gyms and has resulted in many fitness trainers losing their jobs. This encouraged them to start selling online courses and subscription plans for their clients as well as new customers. The following stats dig deeper into the Gym industry and show insights within different countries along with new trends.

General Overview of Gym Industry

1. There are a total of 184,608,505 gym members globally as of 2020, having grown 28% since 2010 and by 5.5% since 2018.
2. The US is home to the most gym members with nearly 64.19 million Americans belonging to one gym or another.
3. A 2020 report on the global gym industry estimates there are a total of 205,176 gyms in the world.
4. An increase of 12.11% from the 183,000 gyms available worldwide in 2014.
5. Germany and the UK are again in a distant 2nd and 3rd to the US, with 11.66 and 10.39 million members respectively.
6. In comparison, the US has nearly 6x more gym members than Germany and the UK.
7. Anytime Fitness is one of the largest gym chains and has the most locations with 4,520 gyms available globally.
8. Eight major gym chains filed for bankruptcy in 2020 including Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, and YouFit. [IHRSA – 2021]
9. The gym, health, and fitness club industry is expected to rake in $33.25 billion in revenue in 2021 [Statista – 2021]
10. The boutique fitness industry expects to add 2,000 new studios around the globe in the next 5 years. [Fitt Insider – 2021]
11. The global virtual fitness market is expected to reach a valuation of $59.23 billion by 2027. [Allied Market Research – 2020]
12. The global home fitness equipment market saw a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.4% from $6.76 billion in 2019 to $9.49 billion in 2020 but is expected to decline 3.16% by 2023. [Research and Markets – 2021]
13. The pandemic helped the global fitness app market reach a valuation of $4.4 billion in 2020, and is expected to a CAGR of 21.6% from 2021 to 2028. [Grand View Research – 2021]
14. The fitness tracker market reached $36.34 billion in revenue in 2020 and is expected to experience a 15.4% CAGR from 2021 to 2028. [Fortune Business Insights – 2021]
15. In the U.S., 17% of fitness facilities and studios permanently closed their doors by the end of 2020 [IHRSA – 2021]
16. As of 2020, the global gym industry is worth $96.7 billion with more than 184 million gym members in total. [IHRSA – 2020]
17. Between 2008 and 2018, the number of gym members has grown by 37.1%, while the total number of club-goers has increased by 34% [IHRSA – 2018]
18. There are more than 205,000 gyms available to members worldwide [IHRSA – 2020]
19. Boutique studios and budget-friendly gyms have continued to perform well year over year. [Wellness Creative – 2020]
20. It is estimated that the global gym industry has a growth rate of 8.7% per year, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. [Global Wellness Institute] – 2020]
21. On the international scale, Anytime Fitness and Planet Fitness are the two largest franchise chains, with a revenue of $1.45B and $527.9M, respectively. [Wellness Creative – 2020]
22. 30% of gyms worldwide invest less than $1000 per year on gym equipment improvements or upgrades [Wellness Creative – 2020]
23. India has the lowest member penetration rate of any country at 0.15%
24. Sweden and Norway have the highest market penetration rates with 22.0%; while India has the lowest with only .15% of the population being a gym member
25. The United States’ gym industry finished off 2019 with recorded revenue of 35.03 billion dollars, the largest of any country.
26. In the U.S., the gym industry faces a 7.2% growth rate in 2021. [IBIS World – 2021]
27. Germany and the UK are in a distant 2nd and 3rd for the highest revenue in 2019, with both countries generating approximately $6.17 billion each.
28. The biggest gym in the world is Offutt Field House, a 22,000 square foot former aircraft hanger located in Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

Impact of Covid-19

1. About 1.4 million or 44% of gym employees lost their job because of COVID-19. [IHRSA – 2021]
2. Around 500,000 gym industry employees have been laid off due to COVID [Harrison Co., May 2020]
3. 58% of trainers lost some or all of their income [The Personal Trainer Development Center, 2020]
4. 1% of trainers say that they’re going to leave the fitness industry [The Personal Trainer Development Center, 2020]
5. 83% of trainers say that they’ll work primarily online after the pandemic [The Personal Trainer Development Center, 2020]
6. 60% of Americans plan to cancel their memberships [Freeletics, July 2020]
7. 59% of Americans don’t plan to renew their gym memberships after COVID [TD Ameritrade, 2020]
8. 59.06% of gym members are considering to cancel or have canceled their memberships [Runrepeat, September 2020]
9. 25% of Americans don’t plan to go back to the gym [Lifeaid, June 2020]
10. In a Morning Consult poll, only 20% of Americans are comfortable going to the gym as of July [Morning Consult]
11. In April 2020, 68% of Americans stated that they are much less likely to go back to the gym based on what they know about COVID-19 [Statista]
12. In April 2020, 18% of Americans stated that they’re not anticipating going back to the gym or exercise classes for the next 6 months at the very least [Statista]

Number of Gyms in Different Countries

1. The country with the most gyms in the United States with 41,370 locations.
2. Brazil has the 2nd most gyms with 29,525
3. Mexico has the 3rd most with 12,871
4. In the US, the city with the most gyms in Minneapolis, with a total of 242 gyms, according to Russell Athletic.
5. In a distant 2nd place is Portland, WA, with a total of 86 gyms.
6. In a distant 2nd place is Portland, WA, with a total of 86 gyms.

Top 10 countries by highest gym member penetration rates

1. 2.36% of the population globally are gym members. That’s according to the most recent 2020 report by the IHRSA and the world’s 7.8 billion population.
2. 22.00% of the population of Sweden and Norway are gym members, with the highest penetration rates globally.
3. In a close third, there is the US, with 21.20% of Americans being gym members.
4. The top 10 cities in China have the most members per gym, with 2,558.01 gym members for every gym.
5. In close 2nd and 3rd in Hong Kong (2,388.89 members/gym) and Taiwan (2,366.67 members/gym). 

Country-by-country gym industry statistics

United States’ gym industry

1. The US gym industry is worth $35 billion, up 8.3% from its $32.3 billion records in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. There were 64.2 US million gym members in 2019, up 2.8% from 62.5 million in 2018. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. There are 41,370 gyms in the United States as of 2019, up from 39,570 locations in 2018. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. America has the third-highest member penetration rate with 21.2% of the US population being a gym member. [IHRSA – 2020]
5. Gyms in the US have an average of 1551.51 members per gym.
6. The average annual revenue per gym in the US was $846,827.05 in 2019.
7. The average gym member in America is worth $545.81 per year to their gyms.
8. The gym industry in the US employs over 713,000 people. [Statistia – 2020] 
9. Jobs in the US gym industry have increased by 24% during the last decade. [US Bureau of Labor Statistics]
10. In 2016, 56% of US adults knew of Planet Fitness by name. [Statista – 2016]
11. 41% of Americans work out to lower their weight. [Statistia – 2016]
12. 75% of gym members say they regularly use strength training machines when they go to their gym. [Statistia – 2016]
13. Only 34% of US gym members believe that their gym is worth what they pay. [Statista – 2016]

United Kingdom’s gym industry

1. The UK gym industry’s revenue for 2019 reached over $6.17 billion [IHRSA – 2020]
2. The UK penetration rate is 15.6% which equates to 1 in every 7 people being a member of a gym [Leisure Database – 2019]
3. UK gym member statistics reveal that there are more than 10 million gym members nationwide [Leisure Database – 2019]
4. There were a total of 7,239 gyms in the UK, before the pandemic [IHRSA – 2020]
5. In the UK there is an average of 1425.28 members per gym, with each member being worth an average of $593.86 per year.
6. The average gym in the UK brings in annual revenue of $852,357.06.
7. The UK fitness industry employs over 189,000 people, 62,000 of which are fitness instructors [Statistia – 2020]
8. 6.1 million people actively participate in a fitness or exercise class at least two times a month. [Statistia – 2019]

Germany’s gym industry

1. Total gym industry revenue for Germany in 2019 was more than $6.17 billion. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. Germany is home to a total of 9,669 gyms across the country. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. With 11,660,000 gym members nationwide, 14.00% of the German population are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. In Germany, there is an average of 1205.91 members per gym with each member worth $529.18 per year.
5. The average annual revenue per gym in Germany is $638,143.84.
6. Germany’s gym industry has experienced a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% between 2014 and 2018. [MarketResearch.com – 2020]

China’s (Mainland’s top 10 cities) gym industry

1. The gym industry in mainland China’s top 10 cities reached nearly 4 billion in 2019 ($3.944 billion) [IHRSA – 2020]
2. In just the top 10 cities in Mainland China, 1,767 gyms are being attended by 4.52 million gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. As of 2019, only 2.98% of China’s population are gym members, meaning there is still massive potential for growth. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. The most important reason male gym-goers in China work out is to keep healthy and fit while the most shared content by Chinese gym-goers on social media is regarding exercise accomplishments [Statista – 2020]
5. Although China had been growing steadily, it is expected to experience a 6.4% decline by the end of 2020 [IBISWorld – 2020]
6. The 25 year or younger gym-goer demographic spends the most on fitness in China. [Statista – 2020]
7. It’s estimated that the average gym industry growth rate in China for 2015-2020 is 4.4%. [IBISWorld – 2020]
8. Japan’s gym industry
9. Japan’s gym industry brought in a revenue of $3.94 billion in 2019. [IHRSA 2020]
10. There are a total of 4,950 gyms nationwide that are attended by more than 4.24 million gym members in Japan. [IHRSA 2020]
11. 3.33% of the population of Japan are gym members. [IHRSA 2020]
12. The average annual revenue per gym in Japan was $796,000 in 2019.
13. Each gym in Japan is home to an average of 856.56 members with each member generating an average annual revenue of $929.95 per year.

Canada’s gym industry

1. Gyms in Canada generate $2.95 billion in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. In Canada, there are 6,587 gyms with over 6.18 million members. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. Approximately 16.67% of Canadians are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. Growth (found elsewhere) – Canada’s gym industry has experienced an average of 4.1% growth per year from 2015 to 2020, with revenue projected at $4.3 billion by the end of 2020. [IBISWorld – 2020]
5. On average, there are 937.59 members per gym in Canada with each person bringing in about $467.87 in annual revenue.
6. A Canadian gym brings in $447,115.53 in annual revenue in 2019.

France’s gym industry

1. The gym industry in France brought in a total of $2.89 billion in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA 2020]
2. There are 4,540 gyms in France and approximately 6.19 million gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. France has an average of 6.2 million gym members, each one generating about $467.29 in revenue per year. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. In 2019, about 9.2% of the people in France are gym members.
5. Gyms in France accommodate roughly 1,363.44 members and earn $637,113.92 in annual revenue.
6. On average, each gym member brings in $467.29 in annual revenue.

Australia’s gym industry

1. The total annual revenue of gyms in Australia amounts to $2.83 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. There are 3,715 gyms in Australia that are home to 3.73 million gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. 15.30% of Australians are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020].
4. Each Australian gym accommodates 1,004.04 members.
5. French gym members contribute $758.98 in annual revenue to the industry. [IHRSA – 2020]
6. The annual revenue for each gym in Australia is $762,045.76.
7. The gym industry’s annual revenue growth rate in Australia is expected to decline by 5.9 percent from 2020 to 2021. [IBISWorld – 2020]

Spain’s gym industry

1. The gym industry in Spain generated $2.63 billion in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. In 2019, there were 4,743 gyms in Spain, with annual revenue per gym averaging $555,306.47. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. There are 5.51 million gym-goers in Spain, which translates to 11.7% of the country’s population. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. On average, one gym in Spain is home to 1,161 members, with each person bringing in about $478.18 per year.
5. Spain’s gym industry is expected to experience a 1.1% growth in annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Italy’s gym industry

1. The total annual revenue of the gym industry in Italy is $2.6 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]
2. Italy is home to 7,760 gyms and approximately 5.51 million gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]
3. Gym members represent 9.10% of Italy’s entire population. [IHRSA – 2020]
4. On average, an Italian gym accommodates 710 members, with each one bringing in about $472.52 a year.
5. The estimated revenue per gym in Italy is $335,513.33 per year.

South Korea’s gym industry

1 In South Korea, the total annual revenue for the gym industry amounted to $2.58 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 3.75 million gym members in South Korea that are scattered across 6,590 gyms in the country. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 Of the total population in South Korea, only 7.25% belong to a gym. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 A typical gym in South Korea hosts about 569 members, with each person bringing in $688 per year.

5 On average, gyms in South Korea earn annual revenue of $391,502.28.

6 The fitness industry in South Korea is expected to experience a 2.9% growth in annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Brazil’s gym industry

1 The total annual revenue of the gym industry in Brazil was $2.17 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 29,525 gyms in Brazil. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 Over 10.33 million people go to the gym in Brazil, which translates to 4.92% of the country’s population. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 In Brazil, about 350 people are housed in a single gym, with each member paying approximately $210 per year.

5 On average, gyms in Brazil earn annual revenue of $73,443.

6 Brazil’s fitness industry is projected to show a 1.2% growth rate in annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Mexico‘s Gym Industry

1 In Mexico, the gym industry’s total revenue reached $1.87 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 The number of gyms in Mexico amounted to 12,871 in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 There are 4,26 million people in Mexico who belong to one gym or another, which is about 3.30% of the total population. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 In Mexico, there are about 331.29 members per gym, who pay an average of $439.02 per year.

5 Pre-pandemic, a gym in Mexico earns an average of $145,443.24in annual revenue.

6 The fitness industry revenue in Mexico is anticipating an annual growth rate of 4.7% from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Netherlands’ gym industry

1 The total annual revenue of the gym industry in the Netherlands reached $1.57 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 As of 2019, there are 2,084 gyms in the Netherlands. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 17.4% of the Netherlands ’ population are members of a gym, which is equivalent to 3 million people. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 In the Netherlands, an average gym is home to about 1,430.53 members, with each one bringing in roughly $522.96 per year.

5 On average, a gym in the Netherlands rakes in $752,816.21 in annual revenue.

6 From 2020 to 2024, the Netherlands’ fitness industry is projected to experience a 2.2% growth rate in its annual revenue. [Statista – 2020]

Poland’s gym industry

1 The gym industry in Poland earned $1.1 billion in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 2,754 gyms in Poland in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 There are 3.1 million gym members in Poland, which is about 8% of the country’s population. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 An average gym in Poland reaches $400,923.51 in annual revenue.

5 There are 1,107.48 members per gym in Poland, with each member bringing in $362.01 per year.

6 Poland’s fitness industry is expected to see a 4.7% increase in growth rate in its annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Argentina’s gym industry

1 The gym industry in Argentine brought in annual revenue of $1 billion in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 Of the total population in Argentina, 6.75% or 2.8 million people belong to a gym. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 There are 7,910 gyms in Argentina as of 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 On average, a gym in Argentina rakes in $126,422.25 in revenue per year.

5 A gym in Argentina houses approximately 353.98 people, with each one bringing in $357.14 a year.

6 The fitness industry in Argentina is expected to experience a 0.8% growth in its annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Saudi Arabia’s gym industry

1 In 2019, the total annual revenue of gyms in Saudi Arabia was $959K [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 1,280 gyms in Saudi Arabia that cater to 1.25 million gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 Based on Saudi Arabia’s total population, only 3.71% are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 A typical gym in Saudi Arabia is home to about 977.78 people.

5 Gym members in Saudi Arabia pay $766.25 per person annually on average.

6 On average, a gym in Saudi Arabia brings in annual revenue of $749,218.75.

7 Saudi Arabia’s fitness sector is projected to see a 2.6% growth in its annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Russia’s gym industry

1 In 2019, the gym industry in Russia garnered a total of $950K in annual revenue. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 3,900 gyms in Russia in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 3.3 million or 2.28% of Russia’s population are a member of a gym. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 Each gym in Russia houses an average of 846.15 people.

5 A gym member in Russia is worth $287.88 a year.

6 The annual revenue per gym in Russia is slated at $243,589.74.

7 Russia’s fitness industry is expected to see a 2.8% growth in its annual revenue from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Sweden’s gym industry

1 The gym industry in Sweden brought in $913K in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 Sweden had 1,702 gyms that are home to 2.25 million members. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 The penetration rate of gyms in Russia is at 22%. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 In Russia, an average gym is home to 1,319.62 members, with each one bringing in $406.35 per year.

5 A gym in Russia generates $536,224.43 in annual revenue.

6 The annual revenue of Russian gyms is expected to grow at 0.4% from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

India’s gym industry

1 In 2019, India’s gym industry raked in $821 million in annual revenue. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 India has 3,813 gyms that serve over 2 million members. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 The penetration rate of gyms in India is at 0.15%. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 About 527.14 people are accommodated per gym in India, with each one bringing in $408.46 per year.

5 In India, a gym earns an average of $215,316.02 in annual revenue.

6 From 2020 to 2024, India’s fitness industry is projected to see a 1.4% increase in its annual revenue. [Statista – 2020]

Norway’s gym industry

1 1,228 gyms in Norway brought in a total of $609,182,531 million in 2019 [IHRSA – 2020]

2 Of Norway’s total population, 22% or about 1.17 million people are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 On average, a Norwegian gym accommodates 953.58 members, with each gym member valued at $520.22 annually.

4 An average gym in Norway earns $496,076.98 in annual revenue.

5 Norway’s fitness industry is slated to see growth in its annual revenue by 1.7% between 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Austria’s gym industry

1 The annual revenue of Austria’s gym industry totaled $595,744,681 in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 12.7% of Austria’s population, which translates to 1.12 million people, are a member of a gym. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 There are 1,299 gyms in Austria. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 A typical Austrian gym is home to an average of 866.05 people.

5 Each gym member is worth $529.55 a year, which brings the establishment $458,617.92 in annual revenue.

6 Austria’s fitness segment is expected to see a 3.9% growth from 2020 to 2024, with a projected market volume of $84 million by 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Finland’s gym industry

1 The gym industry in Finland earned $530,795,073 in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 There are 1,824 gyms in Finland. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 The penetration rate of gyms in Finland is at 17.2% or 951,000 people of the country’s population. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 A gym in Finland is home to an average of 521.38 members,

5 Gym members in Finland are worth $558.14 per person.

6 On average, a gym in Finland rakes in $291,006.07 per year.

7 By 2024, the projected market volume of Finland’s fitness industry is expected to hit $45 million, an increase of 1.3% from 2020 to 2024. [Statista – 2020]

Egypt’s gym industry

1 Egypt’s gym industry brought in $432.4 million in annual revenue in 2019. [IHRSA – 2020]

2 1.2% or roughly 1 million of Egypt’s population are gym members. [IHRSA – 2020]

3 Egypt is home to 1,756 gyms. [IHRSA – 2020]

4 In Egypt, a gym member is worth $431.94.

5 On average, a gym in Egypt accommodates 570.08 members.

6 A typical gym in Egypt brings in $246,241.46 in annual revenue.

Conclusion

The ongoing effects of pandemics have resulted in an understanding of the need for a healthy body and mind to cope up with uncertainties. This will motivate people to take up exercising more seriously and get trained from fitness experts to prevent any injuries due to lack of proper knowledge. Certain countries have a strong gym culture and some of them are slowly developing a similar culture that will lead to positive growth of the industry.