Christina Gough
Research expert covering sports and video gaming
Fitness industry in Europe - Statistics & Facts
The fitness industry in Europe encompasses everything from physical activity and sports participation to health clubs and online fitness apps. Although the industry was significantly impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which began in 2020, the health and fitness market in Europe has since rebounded and almost reached pre-pandemic levels of revenue generation in 2022. Overall, Basic-Fit was the leading fitness club operator in the European region in 2022, ranking above brands such as David Lloyd Leisure and PureGym.
Gym membership recovers after COVID
Gym and health club memberships in Europe, which declined by nearly 15 percent between 2019 and 2020 due to the global health crisis, increased by 12 percent in 2022 over the previous year, showing signs of recovery after COVID-19-related safety measures led to the closure of many fitness establishments. While the pandemic did create several problems for the industry, demand for exercise equipment at home increased considerably as people sought alternatives to traditional gyms to maintain their fitness. According to a Statista Global Consumer Survey conducted in Germany, more than 80 percent of respondents owned a home fitness product in 2021, a year after the pandemic had begun.Industry overview
Looking at the largest fitness markets in Europe, the United Kingdom outperformed Germany in 2022, with the countries generating five and 4.9 billion euros, respectively, that year. As of March 2023, gym memberships were the most popular fitness and health service purchases for both of these countries, with slightly more respondents registering for a gym membership in the UK than in Germany during that time. Comparing health and fitness club memberships in European countries, the UK and Germany had almost double the number of memberships in Spain in 2022. Overall, gyms and health clubs in Europe have followed an upward trend since 2016, with the exception of 2020 when the number of these facilities declined slightly, most likely as a result of the pandemic.Digital fitness applications
Health and fitness apps provide people with a digital tool to access a variety of exercises, track progress with their workouts, and measure their personal health over time. In 2022, sports apps and health & fitness apps had among the highest average revenue per download from all mobile apps in Europe, ranking higher than social networking apps that year. Digital fitness even extends beyond mobile applications, with eHealth devices being another product that has benefitted from the growth of the fitness industry. According to a survey conducted between April 2022 and March 2023, Apple produced the most used eHealth trackers or smartwatches in the United Kingdom during that period, while Apple tied with Xiaomi/Mi for first place in Spain. Overall, the number of fitness tracking wristwear users was forecast to grow by 52 percent between 2022 and 2027.
