After a strong 2021 with global growth of 5.7% for commercial fitness equipment, growth slowed to 2.6% in 2023. Last year, more than 1.4 million units of fitness equipment were sold to fitness clubs, hotels and other companies around the world. The long-term growth trend remains intact and hotels are becoming an increasingly important target group, as the latest study by InterConnection Consulting shows.

Russians, Latinos and Chinese are flexing all their muscles – unlike the rest of the world

The average quantity growth from 2023 to 2026 is 2.3%, meaning that the long-term growth trend is intact. The number of fitness club members and fitness app users continues to rise in almost all regions of the world; an increasing proportion of exercise is being done in fitness clubs. The highest growth rates are in regions with low market penetration, such as Latin America, with average growth of 10.7% in terms of value over the next three years. Worldwide, the cardio equipment segment is the largest at 55.2%. Cardio equipment is most popular in the USA and Canada with a share of 57.5% and is ideal for condition building. There are strong regional differences: the strength equipment segment, which focuses on muscle building, is the strongest segment in Russia, China and Latin America with shares between 49.6% and 78.1%.  In Europe and the USA, there is a trend towards functional fitness equipment, which focuses on building up the muscle groups used in everyday life, among other things.

2/3 of commercial equipment ends up in fitness clubs

Of all commercial fitness equipment, only around 2/3 (65.4%) ends up in fitness clubs, with the rest going to hotels, medical institutions, training centers and apartment buildings. The shares are relatively stable, although the hotel sector saw the strongest growth with 3.1% in 2023. As in all segments, there are also regional differences in this segment, which is the second largest in the world: In the Middle East, more than one in five fitness equipment units are sold to this segment, while the market share in Russia is only 4.3%.

Top 7 account for more than 50% market share

The market for fitness equipment is highly concentrated: The top 7 players have a cumulative quantity market share of 52.0%, with the rest of the market spread across many smaller and regional players. Market shares are currently shifting relatively strongly in Latin America and Asia. Despite the dominance of the top 7 players, there are a number of niche providers for specific segments and regions. The top players in alphabetical order are: Concept 2, Gym80, Life Fitness, Matrix, Precor, Startrac and Technogym.