Fun gym membership statistic: More than one-third of gym-goers keep their memberships just to use equipment.

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In This Article

    Global Gyms
  
    Global Gym Membership 
  
    U.S. Stats
  
    Gym Usage
  
    Age Stats
  
    Race and Ethnicity
  
    Gender Stats
  
    Ownership
  
    COVID-19
  For many gym-goers, most days look pretty identical: wake up, go to work, hit the gym, repeat. Not a bad routine.

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 Considering the gym is a daily activity for many people, it's not surprising if you've considered opening one of your own — or if you've simply wondered how many of these facilities exist across the country (or the world). Plus, how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the fitness industry?

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  Jump into these gym-membership stats to learn more about health clubs today.

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 Global Gym Facilities
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  The health-club and gym industry makes billions of dollars each year, with millions of facilities across the globe, according to the Global Health and Fitness Association's (IHRSA) 2020 report.

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In 2019, the global health club and gym industry made about $96.7 billion in revenue. Globally, there are about 210,000 health and fitness facilities and gyms in the world. These countries have the most facilities: ‌United States:‌ 41,370 ‌Brazil:‌ 29,525

U.S. gyms and health facilities had the most revenue in 2019, with about $35 billion total.
Germany and the U.K. tied for second, each earning about $6.2 billion in the same year.

There are more than 210,000 health clubs across the world, according to Wellness Creative Co.’s 2021 Fitness Industry Statistics Report.

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 Global Gym Membership Statistics

The number of gyms in the world sits at 210,00, but U.S. gyms bring in the most revenue and members, according to the IHRSA 2020 report.

There are more than 184 million gym members around the world. These countries have the highest average numbers of members per gym, according to Expert Fitness: ‌China:‌ 2,558 ‌Hong Kong:‌ 2,389 ‌Taiwan:‌ 2,366 ‌South Africa:‌ 2,072 ‌Singapore:‌ 1,600

Anytime Fitness is one of the biggest global chains, with about 4,520 locations worldwide. Another top global chain, Planet Fitness has more than 16.5 million members and 2,324 locations, according to the franchise website. Fit Body Boot Camp, one of the few international boot-camp franchises, has more than 800 locations across the world, according to the gym website.

Here’s a peek at the most expensive average monthly membership fees (more below on the cheapest) across the world (in U.S. dollars): ‌Qatar:‌ $110.08 ‌Kuwait:‌ $107.74 ‌Singapore:‌ $105.10 ‌Switzerland:‌ $91.83 ‌Saudi Arabia:‌ $86.99

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 For comparison, the average gym membership cost in the U.S. is about $37.71, according to RunRepeat's 2021 Gym Membership Price Analysis.

Gym Membership Statistics in the U.K.

In 2019, there were 7,239 gyms in the United Kingdom, according to RunRepeat’s 2021 Gym Industry Global Analysis. One in 7 people in the U.K. are gym members. There are about 1,425 members per gym. Each gym member makes the facility about $593.86 per year.

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  Top Reasons Why People in the U.K. Go to the Gym  Lose weight

32.08% Keep fit 29.19% Tone up 14.12% Improve mental health 11.8% Prepare for a challenge 5.6% Source: Better.org Most Common Reasons for Skipping the Gym Lack of time 39.46% Lack of confidence 16.55% The gym is too busy 14.28% Childcare conflict 10.11% Just had hair done 7.09% Phobia of lycra 4.9% Source: Better.org Gym Membership Statistics in Canada

There are about 6,587 gyms in the country, per RunRepeat’s 2021 analysis. Canada has more than 6.18 million members total. There are an average of 938 members per gym. Each gym member makes the facility about $467.87 annually.

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 Gym Membership Statistics in Australia

There are roughly 3,715 gyms in Australia, according to RunRepeat’s 2021 analysis. Australia has nearly 4 million total gym members. About 15% of Australians are members of a gym. There are an average of 1,004 members per gym. Each gym in Australia makes about $762,045.76 each year.

U.S. Gym Statistics

There are about 41,370 gym facilities in the U.S., according to the IHRSA. The U.S. gym industry made about $35 billion in 2019, per RunRepeat. Here are the top three revenue-earning health clubs in the U.S., based off of 2019 Club Industry statistics: ‌LA Fitness:‌ $2.15 billion ‌Life Time:‌ $1.9 billion ‌24 Hour Fitness:‌ $1.47 billion

The average gym membership cost in 2021 is $37.71 per month, according to RunRepeat. These are the least expensive monthly memberships in the country: ‌Planet Fitness:‌ $10 ‌Youfit:‌ $10 ‌Work Out World:‌ $10 ‌World Gym:‌ $15.99 ‌Crunch:‌ $19.95

Gyms make about $545.81 per gym member each year, according to RunRepeat.

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 Gym Usage Statistics

About 1 in 4 Americans went to a gym, exercise club or fitness studio in 2019, according to the IHRSA. The number of health-club-goers in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019 increased by 27% — from 58 million to 73.6 million people. About 6.3% of Americans don’t ever use their gym membership, according to RunRepeat. But 49.9% of people go to the gym at least twice a week. In 2019, there were about 6.7 billion gym visits in the U.S. That’s a 45% increase from 2010.

About 27.3 million people went to the gym 100 times (or more) in 2019. That’s a 24% increase from 2010.

The average gym-goer keeps their membership for about 4.7 years. Half of gym users say that location is the main reason why they keep their membership. Approximately 38% say they keep their membership because of equipment.

About half of new gym members quit in the first 6 months. About 38% say they quit because of membership costs. About 23% say they quit because they don’t use their membership.

Gym members with a household income more than $150,000 are more likely to make more than 100 gym visits annually, per the IHRSA.

Gym Statistics by Age Although most U.S. gyms are open to all ages, more than half of newer members are younger than 30. In fact, a majority of gym-goers are under the age of 45. Here are more gym membership demographics to know.

Most gym members are between 36 and 37 years old, while new members are about 30 years old, according to a 2019 Consumer Fitness Survey by Les Mills. More than 50% of new members are younger than 30.

According to Les Mills, this is the generational breakdown of the average gym’s membership: ‌Gen Z (born between 1994 and 2002):‌ 35% ‌Millennials (born between ‌1979 and 1993): 45% ‌Gen X (born between ‌1964 and 1979): 14% ‌Baby Boomers (born between ‌1949 and 1963): 6%

Reasons Why Gen-Z Members Go to the Gym Get (or stay) in shape to lose weight 54% Look better or improve appearance 50% Get stronger 37% Have fun 27% Feel empowered 26% Source: Les Mills Gym Statistics by Race and Ethnicity Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative A stark majority of people who go to American gyms are white, according to RunRepeat. And both the number and percentage of white gym members have increased in the past 10 years.

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Here’s a breakdown of the gym members based on their self-identified race or ethnicity, per RunRepeat. (The terms used below for race and ethnicity reflect the language used by RunRepeat.) ‌White:‌ 66.34% ‌Hispanic:‌ 12.78% ‌African American:‌ 12.3% ‌Asian:‌ 7.19%

The number of white gym-goers has risen from 33.9 million in 2010 to 42.59 million in 2019. That’s a jump of about 25.6%.

Gym Statistics by Gender For the first time, more than half of all people who go to the gym in the U.S. are female, according to RunRepeat. But new female gym-goers are still more likely to quit after a year of membership. (The terms used below for gender reflect the language used in the original sources.)

More than half of all gym members are female, according to RunRepeat. Since 2010, the number of female members increased by 32.2%. Since 2010, the number of male members increased by 23.2%.

About 20% to 40% of men say negative body image is a major motivator for gym attendance. About 8% of male gym-goers quit their membership after a year, according to Finances Online, a business software research platform. About 14% of female members quit after a year.

Women are twice as likely to use gym video-on-demand exercise programs from home than are men, according to RunRepeat. About 46% of men and 43% of women use smartphones while exercising at the gym. Women are more likely to participate in gym group classes like yoga, barre and Pilates.

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        Gym Ownership Statistics

When you open a gym in the U.S., you can either go with a pre-existing franchise or start an independent company. Although one option isn’t necessarily better than the other, there are advantages and drawbacks to both.

Opening a gym franchise can cost anywhere between $10,000 to $1,000,000, depending on the franchise you choose and the location, among other factors, according to the International Sports Science Association (ISSA). Franchisees must pay annual fees to the franchise owner that range from $20,000 to $60,000, depending on the franchise. Franchisees also pay the franchise owner a royalty fee each month or quarter of about 4% to 8% of all revenue the business makes.

Increasing member retention by 5% can increase a gym’s annual revenue by 25% to 95%, according to Glofox, a company that makes management software for fitness facilities and platforms. Most gyms and fitness clubs lose about 50% of new members within the member’s first 6 months.

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 Pandemic Statistics
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  LIVESTRONG.com Creative
  The COVID-19 pandemic's effects on gym memberships have been drastic. Most gyms fully closed for periods during the COVID-19 pandemic (and some continue to operate at only partial capacity).

As of July 1 2021, 22% of U.S. gyms and studios had permanently closed, according to the IHRSA. U.S. gyms lost almost $14 billion from the start of the COVID pandemic in March 2020 to the end of August 2020, according to RunRepeat’s analysis on COVID’s impact on the fitness industry. As of July 2020, 60% of gym members planned to fully cancel their memberships. As of 2020, 59% of Americans didn’t plan to renew their memberships after the pandemic is over. During pandemic lockdowns, 74% of Americans tried fitness apps to stay fit.

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  references
  
      IHRSA: "The 2020 IHRSA Global Report: Clubs Post Record Numbers in 2019"
    
      Wellness Creative Co: "Fitness Industry Statistics [Growth, Trends & Research Stats 2021]"
    
      Expert Fitness: "Surprising Gym Membership Statistics"
    
      Fit Body Boot Camp: "OUR FITNESS BOOT CAMP LOCATIONS"
    
      RunRepeat: "Average Gym Membership Cost 2021 [Gym Price Analysis]"
    
      RunRepeat: "200+ Gym Industry Statistics 2021 [Global Analysis]"
    
      Better.org: "Top Excuses for Not Going to the Gym"
    
      IHRSA: "Report Shows A Decade of Growth for Health Clubs, Gyms, & Studios"
    
      IHRSA: "Health Clubs Serve Over 70 Million Consumers—a Record High"
    
      Club Industry: "Club Industry's Top 100 Health Clubs of 2020"
    
      Finances Online: "87 Gym Membership Statistics You Must Learn: 2021 Cost, Demographics, and Market Share"
    
      Internatinal Sports Science Association: "Opening a Gym: What to Consider Before You Invest"
    
      GloFox: "The Gym Membership Statistics You Need to Know"
    
      RunRepeat: "COVID's Impact on the Fitness Industry [35+ Stats and Facts]"
    
      RunRepeat: "77 Gym Membership Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2020/2021]"
    
      IHRSA: "How Many Gyms Survived the Devastation that was 2020?"
       




  references
  
      IHRSA: "The 2020 IHRSA Global Report: Clubs Post Record Numbers in 2019"
    
      Wellness Creative Co: "Fitness Industry Statistics [Growth, Trends & Research Stats 2021]"
    
      Expert Fitness: "Surprising Gym Membership Statistics"
    
      Fit Body Boot Camp: "OUR FITNESS BOOT CAMP LOCATIONS"
    
      RunRepeat: "Average Gym Membership Cost 2021 [Gym Price Analysis]"
    
      RunRepeat: "200+ Gym Industry Statistics 2021 [Global Analysis]"
    
      Better.org: "Top Excuses for Not Going to the Gym"
    
      IHRSA: "Report Shows A Decade of Growth for Health Clubs, Gyms, & Studios"
    
      IHRSA: "Health Clubs Serve Over 70 Million Consumers—a Record High"
    
      Club Industry: "Club Industry's Top 100 Health Clubs of 2020"
    
      Finances Online: "87 Gym Membership Statistics You Must Learn: 2021 Cost, Demographics, and Market Share"
    
      Internatinal Sports Science Association: "Opening a Gym: What to Consider Before You Invest"
    
      GloFox: "The Gym Membership Statistics You Need to Know"
    
      RunRepeat: "COVID's Impact on the Fitness Industry [35+ Stats and Facts]"
    
      RunRepeat: "77 Gym Membership Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2020/2021]"
    
      IHRSA: "How Many Gyms Survived the Devastation that was 2020?"
    




Fun gym membership statistic: More than one-third of gym-goers keep their memberships just to use equipment.

Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages

Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages

  • Global Gyms
  • Global Gym Membership
  • U.S. Stats
  • Gym Usage
  • Age Stats
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Gender Stats
  • Ownership
  • COVID-19

Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative

Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative

  • ‌United States:‌ 41,370

  • ‌Brazil:‌ 29,525

  • Germany and the U.K. tied for second, each earning about $6.2 billion in the same year.

  • ‌China:‌ 2,558

  • ‌Hong Kong:‌ 2,389

  • ‌Taiwan:‌ 2,366

  • ‌South Africa:‌ 2,072

  • ‌Singapore:‌ 1,600

  • Another top global chain, Planet Fitness has more than 16.5 million members and 2,324 locations, according to the franchise website.

  • Fit Body Boot Camp, one of the few international boot-camp franchises, has more than 800 locations across the world, according to the gym website.

  • ‌Qatar:‌ $110.08

  • ‌Kuwait:‌ $107.74

  • ‌Singapore:‌ $105.10

  • ‌Switzerland:‌ $91.83

  • ‌Saudi Arabia:‌ $86.99

  • One in 7 people in the U.K. are gym members.

  • There are about 1,425 members per gym.

  • Each gym member makes the facility about $593.86 per year.

Lose weight 32.08% Keep fit 29.19% Tone up 14.12% Improve mental health 11.8% Prepare for a challenge 5.6%

Source: Better.org

Source: Better.org

Lack of time 39.46% Lack of confidence 16.55% The gym is too busy 14.28% Childcare conflict 10.11% Just had hair done 7.09% Phobia of lycra 4.9%

  • Canada has more than 6.18 million members total.

  • There are an average of 938 members per gym.

  • Each gym member makes the facility about $467.87 annually.

  • Australia has nearly 4 million total gym members.

  • About 15% of Australians are members of a gym.

  • There are an average of 1,004 members per gym.

  • Each gym in Australia makes about $762,045.76 each year.

  • ‌LA Fitness:‌ $2.15 billion

  • ‌Life Time:‌ $1.9 billion

  • ‌24 Hour Fitness:‌ $1.47 billion

  • ‌Planet Fitness:‌ $10

  • ‌Youfit:‌ $10

  • ‌Work Out World:‌ $10

  • ‌World Gym:‌ $15.99

  • ‌Crunch:‌ $19.95

  • That’s a 45% increase from 2010.

  • That’s a 24% increase from 2010.

  • Half of gym users say that location is the main reason why they keep their membership.

  • Approximately 38% say they keep their membership because of equipment.

  • About 38% say they quit because of membership costs.

  • About 23% say they quit because they don’t use their membership.

  • More than 50% of new members are younger than 30.

  • ‌Gen Z (born between 1994 and 2002):‌ 35%

  • ‌Millennials (born between ‌1979 and 1993): 45%

  • ‌Gen X (born between ‌1964 and 1979): 14%

  • ‌Baby Boomers (born between ‌1949 and 1963): 6%

Get (or stay) in shape to lose weight 54% Look better or improve appearance 50% Get stronger 37% Have fun 27% Feel empowered 26%

Source: Les Mills

Source: Les Mills

  • ‌White:‌ 66.34%

  • ‌Hispanic:‌ 12.78%

  • ‌African American:‌ 12.3%

  • ‌Asian:‌ 7.19%

  • That’s a jump of about 25.6%.

  • Since 2010, the number of female members increased by 32.2%.

  • Since 2010, the number of male members increased by 23.2%.

  • About 14% of female members quit after a year.

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  • Franchisees must pay annual fees to the franchise owner that range from $20,000 to $60,000, depending on the franchise.

  • Franchisees also pay the franchise owner a royalty fee each month or quarter of about 4% to 8% of all revenue the business makes.

       IHRSA: "The 2020 IHRSA Global Report: Clubs Post Record Numbers in 2019"

   Wellness Creative Co: "Fitness Industry Statistics [Growth, Trends & Research Stats 2021]"

   Expert Fitness: "Surprising Gym Membership Statistics"

   Fit Body Boot Camp: "OUR FITNESS BOOT CAMP LOCATIONS"

   RunRepeat: "Average Gym Membership Cost 2021 [Gym Price Analysis]"

   RunRepeat: "200+ Gym Industry Statistics 2021 [Global Analysis]"

   Better.org: "Top Excuses for Not Going to the Gym"

   IHRSA: "Report Shows A Decade of Growth for Health Clubs, Gyms, & Studios"

   IHRSA: "Health Clubs Serve Over 70 Million Consumers—a Record High"

   Club Industry: "Club Industry's Top 100 Health Clubs of 2020"

   Finances Online: "87 Gym Membership Statistics You Must Learn: 2021 Cost, Demographics, and Market Share"

   Internatinal Sports Science Association: "Opening a Gym: What to Consider Before You Invest"

   GloFox: "The Gym Membership Statistics You Need to Know"

   RunRepeat: "COVID's Impact on the Fitness Industry [35+ Stats and Facts]"

   RunRepeat: "77 Gym Membership Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2020/2021]"

   IHRSA: "How Many Gyms Survived the Devastation that was 2020?"