UK fitness hits records

Britain’s gym market kept growing in 2025, pushing membership, visits and revenue to new highs as more adults paid for regular exercise. (well-nation.co.uk) The new UK Health & Fitness Market Report says 12.2 million people aged 16 and over now belong to a health and fitness club, up from 11.5 million a year earlier. Total income reached £6.5 billion and the number of clubs rose to 5,842. (leisureopportunities.co.uk) Visits to clubs rose 10 percent from 2024 levels, and market penetration reached 18 percent of the over-16 population, according to the 2026 report published on April 9. The report was commissioned by ukactive, produced with Sport England and 4GLOBAL, and analyzed by Grant Thornton UK. (whysports.co.uk) A year earlier, the same report series put UK penetration at 16.9 percent, with 11.5 million members, 5,607 clubs and more than £5.7 billion in annual revenue for 2024. That means the 2025 figures extended a growth run that was already underway before this latest report. (ukactive.com) The report tracks paid health and fitness clubs open to the public, including private gyms and leisure centres with cardio or strength equipment. That makes it a measure of the commercial and public fitness market, not a count of everyone who exercises. (ukactive.com) Industry groups have tied the rise to stronger demand for health, fitness and wellbeing, especially among younger consumers. Health Club Management reported in 2025 that younger generations had “bought into” the importance of health and wellbeing as revenue and membership climbed. (healthclubmanagement.co.uk) The backdrop is still a difficult consumer economy, which makes the sector’s gains more notable for operators trying to fill clubs and hold prices. Trade coverage of both the 2025 and 2026 reports described the market as growing despite broader economic pressure. (healthclubmanagement.co.uk) For operators, the latest report sets a new benchmark: more than 12 million members, nearly one in five adults in the market, and a larger club base than a year ago. For policymakers and investors, it offers a fresh snapshot of how large the UK fitness economy became by April 2026. (well-nation.co.uk)