40+ Online Fitness Statistics for 2021/2022 [Research Review]

Home fitness was one of the fastest-growing fitness trends of 2021, while gym memberships declined drastically. Paving the way for widespread adoption and growth for the online fitness industry, evolving how we approach achieving the benefits of working out

To understand and highlight the drastic growth and changes that online fitness is having on the fitness industry experiencing, we researched, analyzed, and compiled over 40 statistics on online fitness, including live streaming, pre-recorded, and on-demand fitness solutions.

Top online fitness and online fitness industry statistics for 2021/2022

In 2021, the global online fitness industry is worth $10.71 billion dollars
The industry has grown 77.33% since it's estimated value of $6.04 billion in 2019
The online fitness industry is projected to be worth more than $59 billion by 2027, growing at a rate of 30.0% to 33.1% per year
Since 2017, on-demand fitness spending is up 128% while traditional gyms grew just 6%.
Due to the demand for customized and increasingly niche fitness class offerings, the live streaming fitness market is expected to grow 35% per year till 2026
72% of active US adults are exercising just as much (56%) or more (16%) through the use of online fitness videos in comparison to pre-pandemic levels

Pandemics impact on the online fitness industry

Changes in users behavior: live streaming vs on-demand fitness

72% of consumers surveyed say that they prefer the flexibility of online fitness to be able to join a class whenever they want and get away from the normal "gym membership" method where they had to work around the gym's hours and busiest times [2020]
U.S. study of 2,000 Americans, 75% said it’s easier to stay fit at home [2021]
72% of US adults were exercising just as much (56%) or more (16%) through the use of online fitness videos in comparison to pre-pandemic levels [2020]
Since the pandemic, 75% of active adults have used live streaming workouts and 70% used on-demand videos to support their exercise regiment [2021]
From March to August of 2020, the minutes spent live streaming health and fitness content increased 1,300%

Mindbody app users using video for their workouts grew by 177% before and after covid (from 26% to 74%) [2020]

When comparing the type of offerings, they found:

Pre-recorded, on-demand video usage grew 311% (from 17% pre-covid to 70% post-covid)
Live streaming video usage grew by 971% (from 7% pre-covid to 75% post-covid)

Consumer spending on online fitness

Consumers have increased spending in digital fitness has increased 30% to 35% in comparison to before the pandemic [2021]
Although 75% plan to return to some form of pre-pandemic exercise routine (including the gym), 30% of consumers expect to continue spending more on online fitness solutions than they did before the pandemic [2021]
40% of gym members were paying for online fitness by companies they've never visited before [2020]

Gyms adoption of online fitness

Traditional gyms, health clubs, and fitness studios continue to adopt a hybrid model with on-site and online fitness solutions
75% of those that use virtual fitness also go to in-person classes
Gyms and studios that offer virtual workouts increase their in-person class attendance by 12%
More than half of online fitness users also go to the gym 3x a week and spend more time on average than other members
72% of fitness club owners created and started offering an on-demand or live streaming service, an increase of 25% from 2019 [2021]

Average cost of online fitness

When investing in digital fitness content as a stand-alone product, prices range from 15$ to $60 per month:

Livestream content is more expensive, with an average price of $20 to $60 per month or $10 to $20 per class
On-demand fitness content is more affordable, with an average price of $15 to $30 per month

With many gyms and companies offering online fitness "add-on services", bundling them in with your current subscription is a growing trend.

When bundling online fitness into your membership, it will cost $5 to $20 on average

How do people find their online workouts?

63% of people who use live-streamed workouts and 53% who use on-demand workouts found them through the local studio's own website or via social media [2020]
26% of people who use live-streamed workouts and 13% who use on-demand workouts found them via recommendation from friends or family [2020]
12% of people who use live-streamed workouts and 38% who use on-demand workouts found them by searching on YouTube or Google [2020]

Free vs paid online fitness content

Many businesses and people believe that with all the free content available online, that people would not be very likely to pay.

That doesn't seem to be the case, as out of those that join a live stream:

41% pay a monthly membership
19% pay for a class pack
15% pay for individual classes

Additionally, out of those that use a pre-recorded workout or on-demand fitness service:

36% pay a monthly membership
7% pay for a class pack
5% pay per video

Why is online fitness growing and beneficial

With 57% of the global population being active internet users as of 2019, the market was primed for the widespread adoption of online fitness solutions ahead of the pandemic. Many gyms and studios provide access to live-streamed classes and on-demand content to better support their members as well.

Two interesting benefits of online fitness are:

When working out in groups (in-person or streamed live) people cycle 21% further and exercise 10% longer on average [2020]
Those who use live stream or on-demand workouts exercise 20% more per month on average than they did the previous year [2021]