Christina Gough
Research expert covering sports and video gaming
Fitness industry in France - statistics & facts
Whether hitting the gym alone or going for a walk with friends, exercises enthusiasts in France find a variety of different ways of keeping fit. The fitness market in Europe as a whole has shown strong signs of recovery following the devastating impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the revenue of the health and fitness market in Europe almost reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2022. In France, meanwhile, the revenue of the fitness industry was estimated at over 1.5 billion euros in 2022, making it one of the largest country markets in Europe.
How do French people keep fit?
Some of the most popular sporting activities in France in 2023 included running and hiking, water sports, and cycling. Moreover, almost one quarter of the population in the European country took part in fitness and gymnastic activities. It therefore comes as no surprise that the revenue of the gym industry in France more than doubled between 2015 and 2022. In fact, doing physical activity at a sports facility was one of the most common exercise locations listed by respondents to a survey in France in July 2023. In the same survey, over a third of respondents stated that they exercised outdoors in nature, making the most of the combined mental and fitness benefits that physical activity brings.How much has the connected fitness market grown in France?
In today’s connected world, fitness fans have thousands of data points at their fingertips in order to track everything from average heart rate to running cadence and blood oxygen levels. Dedicated apps and wearable technologies support people on their fitness journeys and provide extra motivation and incentives to keep fit. The revenue of the health and fitness segment of the app market in France was forecast to exceed a record 140 million U.S. dollars by 2027. Moreover, Statista estimates suggested that the number of users in the digital fitness and wellbeing devices segment of the digital health market in France would exceed 8.2 million individuals by 2028. However, there is still even more scope for growth in this market as a 2023 survey showed that a majority of respondents in France did not use connected technology to track their physical activity. As people continue to make health and wellbeing a priority, this market is predicted to grow even further in the coming years.
