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Online Fitness Participation Statistics: Apps, Platforms and Workouts

Statistics on digital fitness use across countries, age groups, exercise routines, platforms and broader participation measures.

November 12, 2026 8 min read fitnessbodyequipment.com Editorial Team

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Online fitness participation statistics: monthly use of health and fitness apps by country

A useful starting point is the distinction between using an online health or fitness service and completing a workout online. The Digital 2024 Global Overview Report measures the share of internet users aged 16–64 who use health and fitness websites or mobile apps each month. Its figures include free online services and apps. They therefore capture digital-service use, not necessarily an online exercise session, a paid subscription, or a gym visit. In Q3 2023, the worldwide measure was 22.3%.

The country figures show a range across the selected markets. The United Arab Emirates recorded 30.4% of internet users aged 16–64 using these sites or apps monthly, while South Africa recorded 28.9%. Brazil’s figure was 27.5%. Ghana and Sweden were close, at 26.6% and 26.4%, respectively. Greece registered 26.2%, followed by Croatia at 25.9%, India at 25.8%, Austria at 25.6%, Colombia at 25.3%, and Switzerland at 25.0%.

Each percentage uses the same stated age range and monthly-use definition. The country values are observations from Q3 2023, not current-year estimates. The chart does not identify what activity users performed in an app or website, and the listed countries should not be read as a complete ranking of all countries. The measure is broad enough to include free services, so it also cannot be treated as a count of paying customers.

MarketInternet users aged 16–64 using health and fitness websites or apps monthly
Worldwide22.3%
United Arab Emirates30.4%
South Africa28.9%
Brazil27.5%
Ghana26.6%
Sweden26.4%
Greece26.2%
Croatia25.9%
India25.8%
Austria25.6%
Colombia25.3%
Switzerland25.0%

Source: Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, p. 466, “Use of Online Health and Fitness Services,” GWI Q3 2023. The chart includes free online services and apps.

Online fitness participation statistics by age and gender

The same report breaks monthly health and fitness website and app use out by age and gender. These figures still describe internet users and service use rather than online workout completion. For ages 16–24, the reported share was 21.9% among female internet users and 19.6% among male internet users. In the 25–34 group, the figures were 26.1% for female users and 20.9% for male users.

The reported female share was 26.7% among internet users aged 35–44, and 25.1% among those aged 45–54. The corresponding male figures were 21.6% and 20.3%. In the oldest age band shown here, 55–64, monthly use was 21.7% among female internet users and 17.4% among male internet users.

Age groupFemale internet usersMale internet users
16–2421.9%19.6%
25–3426.1%20.9%
35–4426.7%21.6%
45–5425.1%20.3%
55–6421.7%17.4%

Source: Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, p. 467, “Use of Online Health and Fitness Services,” GWI Q3 2023. Values are monthly use among internet users in each age and gender group; free services and apps are included.

Within these reported groups, the female percentages are higher than the male percentages, and the female series reaches its highest listed value at ages 35–44. The male series also peaks among the age groups shown at 35–44. These are descriptive patterns in the chart, not evidence about why use differs. The source does not establish that the same people use a service every month or say whether they use it for workouts, tracking, advice, or another health and fitness purpose.

Online fitness participation statistics in U.S. exercise routines

A U.S. survey offers a different view by asking respondents what they use as part of their exercise routine. Collage Group’s April 2024 weighted survey covered respondents aged 13–78. Its figures are not monthly-use rates: the question records whether respondents reported using a given option as part of their routine, without specifying frequency.

For free online workout videos, such as videos on YouTube or other websites, 27% of respondents overall selected the option. By generation, the shares were 34% for Gen Z, 33% for Millennials, 26% for Gen X, and 14% for Boomers. For workout apps, with Apple Fitness and Peloton given as examples, 17% of respondents overall reported use as part of their exercise routine. The generational figures were 22% for Gen Z, 24% for Millennials, 14% for Gen X, and 7% for Boomers.

U.S. respondentsFree online workout videosWorkout app
Total27%17%
Gen Z34%22%
Millennials33%24%
Gen X26%14%
Boomers14%7%

Source: Generations: Passion Points 2024, p. 78, exercise-routine multiselect table; weighted U.S. survey fielded April 2024, ages 13–78. Frequency is not specified.

The table places video and app responses side by side, but the survey question does not make these exclusive choices. A respondent could use both, and the percentages should not be added to produce a total number of people using digital exercise. The two options also describe different formats: free videos and workout apps. The figures indicate reported use in a routine, not the number of sessions, workout duration, or whether a person exercised at home or elsewhere.

Online fitness participation statistics for UK digital workout platforms

PureGym’s UK Fitness Report 2023/24 describes several ways people use digital platforms around fitness. The report says 51% of respondents used YouTube to support home workouts, while 39% used it to support gym workouts. In a separate finding about online advice and exercise inspiration, 54% of the population used YouTube, 40% used Facebook, and 37% used Instagram. These measures refer to platform use for different purposes; the report excerpt does not provide an underlying field date or adjacent sample details for these findings.

The report also states that 23% of people had used AI for fitness advice or exercise inspiration. This is an ever-used measure as worded, not a frequency of current use. Social media comparison is another distinct finding: 13% of respondents said they compared themselves with fitness influencers on social media. The figure was 25% among respondents who work out and 32% among respondents aged 18–24.

For TikTok, the report says 71% of respondents aged 16–24 used the platform to find fitness advice and exercise inspiration. This age-specific figure concerns finding advice and inspiration; it is not a measure of TikTok-led workouts or regular exercise participation. Together, the UK results span workout support, advice-seeking, AI use, and comparisons with influencers, so they should not be collapsed into a single digital fitness participation rate.

Source: PureGym UK Fitness Report 2023/24, pp. 53–55. The report excerpt does not state the survey field date or adjacent sample details for these findings.

Online fitness participation statistics during Germany’s COVID-19 lockdown

A March 2021 survey examined digitally supported sport and exercise among active members of 2 German university-affiliated multisport centers. Of the 745 people who completed the voluntary survey, 447 respondents, or 60%, said they had tried digitally supported sport or exercise activities during the 6 months before the survey. Another 298 respondents, or 40%, had engaged only in offline sport and exercise activities during that period.

The study contacted 7,350 active members by email and reported a 10% response rate. The findings describe respondents from these 2 centers during the second lockdown; they are not population-representative measures for Germany. The 60% and 40% figures distinguish reported digital participation from respondents who engaged only in offline activities within the surveyed member sample. They should not be applied to all German residents or interpreted as national rates of online fitness use.

Source: “Just a stopgap for ‘real’ sports? Experiences with digital sport and exercise activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Methods and sample description. Survey fielded March 2021 among active members of 2 German university-affiliated multisport centers; voluntary participation, 10% response rate.

Online fitness participation statistics in global fitness and gym participation

The Global Wellness Institute’s fitness participation estimates provide broader context but combine formats that the online-use measures above keep separate. GWI defines its broad fitness category to include workouts and classes via online platforms and at home, as well as activity in other settings, including gyms. It estimated global fitness participation at 5.0% in 2019 and 6.8% in 2024. These are broad fitness participation figures, not online-only rates.

For traditional gyms and fitness centers alone, GWI estimated global participation at 3.35% in 2019 and 3.97% in 2024. The gym-only measure is distinct from the broader category that includes online and at-home formats. It does not count all digital workouts, and the broader rate should not be described as a measure of app use.

GWI separately estimated that 37.5% of the global population regularly participated in some type of recreational physical activity in 2024, compared with 36.6% in 2019. In this measure, regular participation means at least monthly. It covers recreational activity generally, rather than fitness services or online exercise specifically, so it supplies wider activity context instead of a direct digital participation estimate.

The report also describes spending rather than participation: global consumer spending on fitness apps, streaming, and on-demand services grew at an average annual rate of 21.5% from 2019 to 2024. This is a growth rate for a fitness-technology spending subsegment. It is not a percentage of people, an app-use rate, or a count of workouts.

GWI measure20192024
Broad global fitness participation, including online, at-home, and in-person formats5.0%6.8%
Global participation in traditional gyms and fitness centers3.35%3.97%
Global population regularly participating in any recreational physical activity, at least monthly36.6%37.5%

Source: 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, pp. 50–52. GWI’s broad fitness measure includes online, streaming, at-home, and in-person participation; gym participation is reported separately. The 21.5% annual spending growth for fitness apps, streaming, and on-demand services covers 2019–2024 and is not a participation rate.

Sources

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