The fitness equipment market has seen a number of changes and challenges in recent years. But it remains resilient with a number of high-growth areas that present exciting opportunities for manufacturers, gyms, and consumers.

In this article – we’ve collated the latest fitness equipment market statistics and industry insights, including top segments, largest manufacturers, trends, and analysis.

I spent 10 years working for one of the world’s leading fitness equipment companies, so got to know the industry inside-out during this time. Understanding the market, identifying trends, and competitor analysis were all part of my role. So I’ve put that experience to good use and summarised the latest industry insights into one handy article…

Fitness Industry Market Report 2024 Cover

2024 Fitness Industry Report

The most comprehensive & up-to-date report on the fitness industry available. Includes revenue, growth, future outlook plus much more.

Fitness Equipment Market Overview

The global fitness equipment market is worth $14.3bn in 2024 and growing at a rate of 3.7% per year. This is slower than the 5-10% growth that the fitness industry overall is experiencing and the 7.5% growth of the gym and health club market. Here’s a snapshot of fitness equipment market statistics that demonstrate the key segments and opportunities…

  • The fitness equipment industry is worth $14.3bn.
  • It’s growing at 3.7% per year, slower than the overall fitness and gym markets.
  • The fitness equipment market is predicted to reach $14.8bn in 2025.
  • The home fitness market is the largest segment accounting for 84%.
  • Functional training equipment is the fastest growing segment at 47% per year.
  • Connected gym equipment is the next fastest segment at 32% annually.
Fitness Equipment Market 2024 Overview

Fitness equipment is a maturing industry with a number of manufacturers consolidating through mergers and acquisitions. In recent years Precor were acquired by Peloton, Life Fitness by KPS Capital Partners, and Wexer by Core Health & Fitness.

The global events of 2020 were a challenge for the commercial equipment segment but boosted the home fitness market. Cardio and strength machines remain gym product staples, however functional training equipment is seeing the greatest expansion at 47% growth per year!

Gym Equipment Industry Segments

The exercise equipment industry can be segmented in several different ways – by customers, products, and purpose. Customers consist of the commercial and home fitness equipment markets, products are made up of cardio, strength, functional, and accessories, and purpose includes areas like weight loss and athletic performance. Let’s dive into each of these fitness equipment segments in more detail…

Home Fitness Equipment Market

The home fitness equipment market (sometimes referred to as ‘consumer’ or B2C) targets end users of the equipment who typically want it for their home.

  • The home fitness equipment market was worth $11.6bn in 2023.
  • Consumer products account for 84% of the overall fitness equipment market.

Commercial Fitness Equipment Market

The commercial fitness equipment segment (sometimes known as industrial equipment) caters to gyms, hotels, apartment complexes, and government customers like the military.

  • The commercial fitness equipment market was valued at $2.2bn in 2023.
  • Commercial products account for 16% of the overall fitness equipment market.
Fitness Equipment Industry Home & Commercial Market Share

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Fitness Equipment Product Segments

There are four broad product categories in the gym equipment market; cardio, strength, functional, and accessories.

  • Cardio – includes machines that train the aerobic system, such as treadmills, elliptical crosstrainers, bikes, and rowing machines.
  • Strength – includes selectorized resistance machines, plate-loaded units, cable machines, and free weights.
  • Functional – is a high-growth product segment (+47% annually) that includes training rigs like the Life Fitness Synrgy and Matrix Connexus.
  • Accessories – captures all of the add-on products such as mats, balance balls, TRX suspension straps, etc.

Gym Equipment Purpose

The exercise equipment market can also be segmented based on the purpose or fitness goal that products serve. Unsurprisingly, weight loss, body building, health, and athletic performance are the core sub-segments within this sector.

You might also like… Workout Market Statistics, Wellness Industry Growth Predictions or Yoga Market Insights & Trends.

Top Fitness Equipment Manufacturers

The leading fitness equipment manufacturers have a global presence and typically sell to both businesses (gyms, health clubs, hotels, etc.) and consumers (through retail channels). They include…

  • Johnson Health Tech
  • Life Fitness
  • Technogym
  • Precor
  • Core Health & Fitness

Johnson Health Tech is the largest fitness equipment manufacturer – it generated $962m in revenue according to its last financial report (2021). This is partly due to the fact its portfolio includes both commercial (Matrix) and consumer equipment brands (Horizon and Vision).

The fitness equipment manufacturing industry is maturing and big players are consolidating through mergers acquisitions. Several leading manufacturers changed ownership in recent years, including Life Fitness (acquired by KPS Capital Partners) and Precor (bought by Peloton).

As a result, it’s increasingly difficult to calculate fitness equipment market share as several brands no longer disclose financial reports publicly. What we do know is that Johnson Health Tech’s revenue was $962m in 2021 and Technogym’s was $655m. Based on historical Life Fitness financial results, we can estimate that it holds the second position somewhere between Johnson and Technogym. Precor likely sits in fourth position.

Commercial gym manufacturing took a hit in 2020 as facilities were shut globally and orders dried up. However, manufacturing companies rebounded in 2021 and have continued to post increasingly strong results. Conversely, manufacturing of gym equipment for the home saw unprecedented demand during this period but has now returned to normal.

There’s no shortage of trends in the fitness equipment space. Visit any gym expo and you’ll see an array of weird and wonderful inventions. Very few catch on and get adopted by the mass market, but some (especially those pushed by the leading manufacturers) do break through to become mainstream.

Our predictions for 2024 fitness equipment trends include connected gym equipment, functional training kit, virtual reality products, and sustainable machines…

Connected Gym Equipment

Internet-enabled equipment is one such trend that looks set to stay. Precor introduced ‘Preva’ networked fitness products over 10 years ago and other big manufacturers quickly followed suit.

The connected fitness and gym equipment market was worth $734.5m in 2022 and is predicted to grow at 31.7% per year, reaching $3.7bn by 2028. It taps into consumer demand for fitness apps and the growth of wearables by seamlessly transferring exercise data from machines to their devices.

Functional Workout Equipment

We’ve already highlighted functional training as a trending product area with high growth of 47%. It’s popular with personal trainers as it enables them to showcase their added value to clients (in a way that’s more difficult with a piece of cardio for instance). This is helping to drive in-club adoption and may be one reason it regularly features in top 10 fitness trend lists.

Virtual Reality Fitness Equipment

Virtual reality training products are also a huge trend. While the gym equipment market is expected to grow at 3.7%, the virtual fitness market is predicted to increase much faster at 8.4% CAGR. This equates to over $6.8bn so it’s a sector that equipment companies need to seriously consider.

Brands like Peloton, Technogym, and Core Health & Fitness (through its acquisition of Wexer) moved quickly, establishing themselves as leaders in the segment. B2B sales of interactive fitness products are expected to see the biggest growth. This presents an opportunity for commercial equipment brands that already have established sales channels and relationships with gyms.

Sustainable Gym Equipment

Technology in the fitness industry is constantly evolving, partly driven by manufacturer innovation and partly by customer needs. Renewable energy gym equipment is one area where the market may drive product development in future.

As electricity costs rise rapidly and brands look for ways to operate more sustainably, fitness equipment that feeds the grid (instead of taking from it) may be a growth area. SportsArt is the only mainstream manufacturer to have capitalised on this to date, but there may be opportunities for other equipment brands in the long-term.

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Fitness Equipment Industry Analysis

Despite a couple of challenging years, the industry outlook for fitness products is positive with some segments growing at an incredible 30%-50% each year.

The global fitness equipment market was worth $8.9bn in 2022, down from $11.6bn two years prior. Gym closures hit the industry hard as demand dried up and some manufacturers struggled to deliver against orders. However, it’s already rebounded and is expected to continue growing at 3.7% CAGR between 2024 and 2028.

Functional training, connected fitness, and virtual reality segments are all high-growth areas within the market. Longer term, green energy equipment could present an opportunity if the technology allows.

However, as the boutique studio sector grows, there’s a question mark over how equipment manufacturers should adapt. Studios spend a lot less on equipment than traditional clubs which means less revenue for suppliers…

Approximately 30% of studios spend less than $1000 on equipment per year, with 65% spending less than $5000.

– The Association of Fitness Studios –

Accessories account for the majority of their spending, so cardio and strength manufacturers may need to rethink their product offerings or focus their efforts on other sectors.

We’ve previously highlighted trends towards more minimalist fitness too. Bodyweight training, outdoor workouts, and HIIT are just a few of the recent trends that don’t require equipment. So, manufacturers will need to continually evolve if they are to encourage demand for their products.

One thing remains clear – the health and fitness market as a whole will continue to grow as global obesity rates and other lifestyle diseases increase. And as consumer interest in wellness also grows, there are huge opportunities for fitness equipment manufacturers and distributors that can tap into their needs.

Fitness Industry Research Report

This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date industry research report available. Unlike others, you get extended access to the 2024 edition, including any updates that are made as new market data becomes available. Ideal for business planning and strategic marketing, the 90-page report includes;

  • Global fitness equipment market size & growth
  • Key equipment segments including home, commercial, and product insights
  • Largest fitness equipment manufacturers
  • Top fitness equipment trends & growth areas
  • Broader fitness industry revenue & growth by market segment
  • Gym market size, growth & membership statistics
  • Online & virtual fitness market developments
  • Financial information for the largest club operators globally
  • Insights into the boutique fitness studio, personal training segments, fitness tracker & app segments
  • Outlook & evidence-based predictions for the future of the industry
  • 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions or hassle.
Fitness Industry Market Report 2024 Cover

2024 Fitness Industry Report

The most comprehensive & up-to-date report on the fitness industry available. Includes revenue, growth, future outlook plus much more.

Fitness Report Clients
Fitness Equipment Industry Statistics Pinterest

Sources

Global Newswire, PR Newswire, Fortune Business Insights, Imarc, Buying Habits Of Fitness Studios, The IHRSA Health Club Equipment Report.


Caroline @ Wellness Creative Co

Qualified personal trainer (BSc Sports Science) & nutritionist (MSc Human Nutrition) with 15+ years of fitness & wellness marketing experience working with global brands.