In 2024, the share of the United States' population who took part in fitness sports peaked at 68.8 percent. This was an increase over the previous year's figure of 67.8 percent.

A September 2023 survey on exercise habits in the United States revealed that a lack of energy was the most common barrier to engaging in fitness. Moreover, time constraints were an issue for 27 percent of respondents when it came to taking part in fitness activities.

In 2019, there were 68.7 million smartphone owners in the United States who used at least one health or fitness app at last once per month. It is forecasted that in 2022, there will be 86.3 million users of health or fitness apps in the United States.

The number of members of fitness centers and health clubs within the United States has experienced a near continual increase between 2000 and 2024. In 2024, there were found to be around ** million members of fitness centers and health clubs within the U.S., the greatest number during the period of observation.

In 2023, it was found that 22.4 percent of men in the United States participated in sports, exercise, and recreational activities daily, compared to only 19.9 percent of women. These statistics highlight a notable difference in the daily engagement of different genders in sporting activities. Other factors influencing this participation include socioeconomic status, age, disability, ethnicity, geography, personal interests, and societal expectations. These barriers can prevent individuals from having equal access to, and opportunities for, sport participation. What role does gender play in sports participation? Historically, many sports have been segregated by gender, with men and women participating in separate leagues and competitions. This segregation has led to a lack of opportunities for women and girls to participate in sports at the same level as men and boys. Additionally, societal attitudes and stereotypes about gender can discourage women and girls from participating in sports or limit their access to resources and support for their athletic pursuits. This often results in fewer women and girls participating in sports and a lack of representation of women and girls in leadership roles within the sports industry. However, in recent years, there has been an increased focus on promoting gender equality in sports and providing equal opportunities for men and women to participate in sports. This includes initiatives to increase funding and support for women's sports, as well as efforts to challenge gender stereotypes and discrimination in the athletic world. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports participation The COVID-19 pandemic led to many people spending more time at home due to lockdowns, remote work, and school closures. This resulted in many people having more time to engage in sports and other physical activities, as seen in the share of the U.S. population engaged in sports and exercise peaking in 2020. With gyms and sports facilities closed or with limited access, many people turned to home-based workouts and other activities. This included activities such as running, cycling, and strength training that could all be done at home with minimal equipment. Online classes and streaming services also saw an increase in usage during the pandemic, providing people with access to a wide range of workout options and fitness programs.

In January 2025, the leading mobile fitness and workout apps recorded over 25 million downloads worldwide. The month of January regularly sees a seasonal surge in downloads of fitness and workout mobile apps. January 2021 recorded roughly 26.31 million downloads of leading fitness and workout apps, representing a 30 percent increase from the previous year. Between 2022 and 2023, the trend appears to have normalized, with downloads of the most popular mobile fitness apps experiencing a slowing growth. In recent years, fitness and workout mobile apps have become increasingly popular thanks to their convenience over gym memberships and the ability of app publishers to increase both quality and quantity of available in-app features. In 2024, apps in the eServices fitness market are forecasted to generate revenues for almost 1.8 million U.S. dollars in the United States alone.

A September 2023 survey on exercise habits in the United States revealed that around 45 percent of Gen Z respondents were interested in pursuing fitness in order to feel confident in their bodies. Meanwhile, 36 percent of Gen Zers wanted to exercise to create a better quality of life as they got older.

The health and fitness club market in the United States was estimated to grow at an annual rate of 7.81 percent between 2018 and 2024. This meant that the industry was predicted to be worth over 147 billion U.S. dollars by 2024.

14 percent of U.S. respondents answer our survey on "Fitness and health service purchases" with "Gym membership". The survey was conducted in 2024, among 10,147 consumers. Looking to gain valuable insights about consumers of health and fitness services worldwide? Check out our

The health and fitness club market worldwide was estimated to grow at a rate of 7.5 percent annually between 2022 and 2030. By 2030, this industry was estimated to be worth approximately 125 billion U.S. dollars. How big is the global physical activity industry? The global market size of the physical activity industry was projected to grow by over six percent annually in the coming years, with the market size forecasted to exceed 1.1 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. In terms of regional market size, North America led by nearly 78 billion dollars, followed by the Asia-Pacific region in second place. Additionally, the number of members at health and fitness clubs in North America was estimated at over 70 million, followed by nearly 65 million in Europe, with these numbers steadily increasing since 2009. How many people in the United States engage in a physical activity? In the past year, there were just over 115,000 businesses in the U.S. fitness industry, which represented an increase over the previous year. Regarding daily engagement in sports, exercise, and recreation in the United States, it was found that around 21 percent of the male population and 19 percent of women participated in these activities. Furthermore, when considering fitness and health-related purchases, 78 percent of U.S. consumers reported not spending any money on fitness and health services in 2024. In contrast, 14 percent spent money on gym memberships, while 10 percent of consumers spent money on online fitness services in that same year.

During of the first quarter of 2020, health and fitness apps were downloaded 593 million times. It is projected that by the end of the second quarter of 2020, health and fitness apps will have generated 656 million downloads. In the same quarter of the previous year, health and fitness apps were only downloaded 446 million times. This increase is largely due to the global coronavirus pandemic which has caused consumers to stay at home and restructure their exercise regimen and general lifestyle practices.

A September 2023 survey on exercise habits in the United States revealed that around 65 percent of male respondents took part in strength training. Meanwhile, just under one quarter of female respondents participated in yoga.

As fitness studios and entire sports leagues have shuttered to limit the COVID-19 spread, home workouts have gained some popularity in recent weeks. From Instagram fitness challenges, YouTube video producers posting home workouts, to personal trainers taking their classes online, there has been a plethora of new online fitness content for consumers to try out. According to a March 2020 survey, 16 percent of adults in the United States had taken to using more online exercise videos due to social distancing and self-quarantining practices during the coronavirus pandemic.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

Among all age groups worldwide, those aged 30 to 39 years had the highest percentage of fitness mobile app users. It was estimated that in 2016, around 41 percent of those aged 30 to 39 years used fitness tracking apps to track their health. The popularity of fitness tracking apps has increased significantly within recent years.

App usage

Fitness apps are used to track many aspects of health and wellbeing. Not only are they used for health data such as fitness and nutrition, they can also be used for mental health and chronic illness tracking. Health app users access their apps in a variety of ways. The most common way that health app users accessed their apps was through their mobile phone. When app publishers were asked who they target their apps for, people with chronic illness were most commonly chosen as a target demographic for health apps.

Health app market

Fitness tracking app downloads have dramatically increased in recent years. App diversity and availability have also increased since the popularity of health apps has risen. Since 2015, the number of apps available for download from the Apple store has almost doubled. The top health and fitness app downloaded through the Google Play store in March 2019 was Calorie Counter by MyFitnessPal. The second most downloaded health app at that time was Headspace: Meditation & Sleep.

One of the most effective ways to stay in shape is to take part in regular workouts at the gym. However, increasing numbers of gym-goers are supplementing their workout routine with online fitness services that allow them to workout in the comfort of their own home. During a 2019 survey in the United States, 35 percent of Millennials stated that they paid for an online fitness service.

Between November 2023 to November 2024, approximately 6.7 million people participated in fitness classes in England. This marked an increase from the number of participants in the previous study period, which stood at around 6.2 million.

A January 2024 survey in the United States explored the top fitness goals that people had set themselves for the year. More than 40 percent of respondents wanted to lose a certain amount of weight, while just under one third cited muscle gain as one of their top fitness goals.

In 2021, around 70 percent of Millennial respondents from the United States stated that they participated in fitness sports, making them the generation with the highest participation rate. The generation with the lowest participation in fitness sports was Gen Z.

In 2023, manufacturers' wholesale sales of home fitness equipment reached slightly over 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, reflecting an eight percent increase on-year. In contrast, institutional fitness equipment sales in the U.S. amounted to about 1.69 billion U.S. dollars in the same year.

A September 2023 survey on exercise habits in the United States revealed that around 56 percent of Gen Z respondents worked out in a gym or health club. This number fell to 22 percent among Baby Boomers.