Memberships are the main source of income for most gyms. Significant, consistent and predictable, this revenue stream gives your fitness business much-needed financial stability. You can then offer classes, personal training, product sales and complementary services on top to maximize the money that your gym makes.
The main task for a gym owner is to increase member acquisition and retention. The more new members you attract, and the more you keep, the more stable and profitable your gym will be.
But what does good member acquisition and retention look like? How does it differ from gym to gym, region to region? And most importantly, how can you achieve it?
All of these questions can be answered by looking at the numbers. So in this guide we’ll do exactly that, reviewing the most important gym member statistics, to find out how to attract and keep members more effectively than ever before.
Current Gym Membership Trends
Global gym membership statistics
Let’s begin by setting the scene. According to The IHRSA 2020 Global Report, pre-COVID there were a total of 184 million gym members worldwide.
While the industry took a hit during the pandemic, global industry revenues grew from US$96.7 billion in 2019 to $124.7 billion in 2024, so it’s likely that member numbers have grown significantly over the last five years too.
This growth doesn’t look like slowing either. By 2034 total industry revenue is expected to reach $302 billion, which equates to an incredible compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% over the course of a decade.
This growth looks likely to be shared between large chain gyms and boutique, independent operations - the market for yoga and pilates studios, for example is expected to grow at an even faster rate (10% CAGR) than the fitness industry as a whole.
Gym membership trends by region
In terms of specific countries, the US has the most gym members by far: 64 million gym-goers generate over $35 billion in gym revenue, with Germany (11.66 million members, $6.17 billion revenue) coming a distant second.
But in terms of gym members as a percentage of the population, Sweden and Norway (22%) actually outdo the US (21.2%). Canada (16.67%), the UK (15.60%) and Australia (15.30%) are 7th, 8th and 9th respectively.
Given that India has one of the lowest gym membership penetration rates in the world (0.15%), and a population of over 1.4 billion, it has huge potential for growth, as does the broader APAC region, with China and Japan currently fourth and fifth in terms of total gym industry revenue.
Age demographics and membership usage patterns
Gym members tend to lean younger than the general population. In the US, the breakdown by age group is as follows:
- 6-17 years old: 16% of total memberships.
- 18-34: 31%.
- 35-54: 31%.
- 55-64: 10%.
- 65+: 12%.
The most popular time to attend the gym is in the early morning, with 38% of members preferring to visit between 5am-9am. The least popular time slot is in the late evening after 8pm.
Monthly and Annual Membership Trends
Spring is a key period for new memberships, as people work on trading winter weight for a beach-ready bod.
More gym memberships are sold in January than any other month, a trend powered by the fact that ‘more exercise’ is the most popular type of New Year’s resolution. That said, most resolutions don’t succeed - around 80% are abandoned by February - which brings us to the issue of gym member retention.
Factors Influencing Membership Retention
According to Glofox, most health clubs and gyms will lose half of their new members within the first six months. That’s a problem, because the cost of acquiring a new member can be five times greater than the cost of retaining an existing one. The good news? Increasing your customer retention rate by just 5% can lead to a 25% to 95% increase in profits.
So why are people canceling their gym memberships? This US data by YouGov offers some insight:
| Reasons for canceling gym memberships in the US (June, 2024) | |
|---|---|
| It was too expensive | 41% |
| My personal circumstances changed | 25% |
| I didn’t have time to go anymore | 23% |
| I moved | 19% |
| I could get the results I wanted on my own | 19% |
| I didn’t like the experience | 14% |
| I thought I could find a better option | 10% |
| The studio/gym closed | 9% |
| It was at inconvenient times | 8% |
| My friends stopped going | 5% |
| I didn’t achieve the results I wanted | 5% |
The expense - or perhaps more accurately, the perceived value - of a gym membership is the primary reason people are canceling their gym memberships in the US.
Other big drivers of what might be called ‘preventable’ cancellations - ones that individual gym owners can affect and should therefore pay close attention to - include gym-goers not enjoying the gym experience, thinking they could find a better option, inconvenience, a lack of friends and not achieving the desired results.
When combined, these factors were given as reasons for cancellation by a hefty 42% of respondents. The good news? They can be prevented (but more on that later).
Before we move on, another key question a gym owner should ask is why someone might not join their gym in the first place. A 2023 study by PureGym in the UK revealed the following:
| Reasons for not joining a gym in the UK (2023/24) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Female | Male | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | |
| It’s too expensive | 54% | 59% | 49% | 57% | 56% | 65% | 59% | 51% |
| I exercise at home/outdoors | 33% | 31% | 34% | 33% | 38% | 32% | 39% | 30% |
| I am not interested in becoming more physically active | 25% | 22% | 28% | 20% | 19% | 17% | 20% | 29% |
| I don’t have a strong enough will to benefit from a membership | 21% | 22% | 21% | 15% | 17% | 17% | 23% | 22% |
| For health-related reasons | 21% | 23% | 20% | 7% | 15% | 9% | 15% | 26% |
| I’d feel intimidated | 18% | 23% | 12% | 37% | 26% | 23% | 22% | 15% |
| I don’t have enough time | 15% | 15% | 15% | 35% | 35% | 29% | 22% | 8% |
| COVID-19 safety concerns | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 5% |
Again, the price of a gym membership was the most common reason across all demographics. Other interesting insights include:
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Women and younger members are more likely to feel intimidated by the gym environment than men and older members.
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Expense concerns were most pronounced for those aged 35-44, and time concerns were most pronounced in the 16-34 age bracket.
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Those aged 55+ were the least likely group to report a lack of time as a reason (8%), instead mainly being concerned with costs, health problems, a lack of interest, and engaging in alternative exercise opportunities.
On top of these common attraction and retention issues, there are also a number of opportunities that gym owners should be aware of - the positive elements that members appreciate and owners should look to replicate. According to the IHRSA Member Retention Report:
- Nine out of ten gym members say they value communication from staff members, and when members had two interactions with gym staff in a given month, they made one extra visit the following month.
- Every additional visit by a member in a given month reduced the risk of that member canceling in the next month by 33%.
- 70% of club members who had made new friends through their gym self-identified as club “promoters” rather than club “detractors”.
- A gym reaching out to a member - by phone, email, text or social media - more than doubled the likelihood that the member would identify as a “promoter” rather than a “detractor”.
Good news: now that you know these gym membership retention statistics, and understand the underlying issues and opportunities, you’ve put yourself in a position to increase your average retention rate.
Let’s look at how.
Strategies to Improve Membership Retention
Clever gym retention strategies can help resourceful owners encourage member loyalty and longevity, increasing their gym membership retention rate in the process.
Here are our top five tips for how you can keep your gym members more engaged for longer:
- Create personalized experiences: Encourage your staff to get to know your members on a personal level. This puts them in a position to create customized gym experiences designed to drive every member toward their goals, making them feel valued and increasing their satisfaction.
- Encourage community: Make your current members feel like they’re part of something bigger - a community of like-minded, fitness focused individuals. Offer group classes. Run fitness challenges. Host a monthly social night.
- Utilize technology: Choose gym management software that makes it simple for members to book classes and training sessions, that allows them to manage their memberships, track progress through their fitness journey, and access the gym whenever they choose.
- Ask for and act on feedback: How do you find out what your fitness studio members want? Just ask. From casual conversations to emailed surveys, gyms should constantly solicit feedback from members to ensure any issues and opportunities are identified early.
- Cleanliness and maintenance: It’s a basic point, but the importance of a clean space filled with high quality, well maintained gym equipment cannot be understated. These are absolute non-negotiables if you’re trying to improve your retention rate.
Retention Success with GymMaster
Want to keep members engaged and improve your gym’s retention rate? GymMaster makes it easy.
The ultimate gym management solution, GymMaster automatically monitors visitation patterns and identifies the members who are most at risk of canceling. You can then send personalized communications via email, SMS or the member app to offer alluring deals and make them aware of all that your gym has to offer.
“Since we started monitoring our contractors using GymMaster I’ve improved member retention by 28% – that’s equivalent to three months of marketing costs! In fact, I’ve increased my membership while cutting back on advertising!”
— Gary Olympic Gym, New Zealand
Loyal members are the best members. By understanding what your customers do and don’t want, and by implementing technologies and strategies that enhance the experience that your gym offers, you can create members who aren’t just loyal, but who can become advocates, even unofficial salespeople for your business.
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