European Health & Fitness Market Report 2023 signals industry recovery from COVID-19
After facing significant challenges over the past two years due to COVID-19, the European fitness market has made a remarkable recovery, with club revenues and membership numbers now approaching pre-pandemic levels.
According to the European Health and Fitness Market Report 2023 (EHFMR) published by Deloitte and EuropeActive, the industry is experiencing a “strong recovery”, indicating positive growth and an optimistic outlook for the future.
The European health and fitness market achieved significant revenue growth in 2022. Total revenues rose by 66% to €28 billion, very close to the previous pre-pandemic high of €28.2 billion in 2019.
The report also shows a significant increase in the number of people going to gyms across Europe: in 2022 alone, gym memberships increased by almost 7 million to 63.1 million, up 12.3% from 2021’s 56.2 million.
The recovery of the European fitness sector is particularly remarkable given the challenging circumstances it faced during the pandemic. In 2020, active memberships across European health clubs plummeted by approximately 10 million, or 15.4%, falling to 54.8 million from 64.8 million in 2019. The subsequent recovery and growth seen in 2022 demonstrates the resilience and determination of both fitness operators and consumers.
Although there were 13 major mergers and acquisitions in the fitness industry in 2022, the top three fitness operators in terms of membership numbers remained unchanged: Basic-Fit with 3.4 million members, RSG Group with 1.81 million members, and PureGym with 1.66 million members continue to lead the European fitness market.
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With ambitious expansion plans and bright market prospects for the future, Europe’s fitness industry is set to grow further, empowering people across the continent to prioritise their health and wellbeing.
The report predicts that by 2030, around 100 million people across Europe will be working out in a gym.
