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Sports and fitness equipment in Europe - statistics & facts

Over the years, the European sporting goods industry has done well for itself: in Germany, for instance, net revenues of the sporting goods retail sector have more than tripled since 2003. Similar trends have likewise been recorded for other large countries in Europe, including, but not limited to Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK). When discussing sporting goods, consumers often think of sports apparel and athletic footwear, however, the term also encompasses equipment and gear for the purposes of exercise, sports, and fitness.

International trade

When it came to physical exercise, gymnastics, athletics, and other sports articles and equipment, Germany was one of Europe’s leading importers. In 2020, the country imported over one and a half billion euros’ worth of these kinds of goods. By comparison, the import value of exercise articles and equipment stood at approximately 1.1 billion British pounds (or an estimated 1.3 billion euros) for the UK that year. In terms of export, Germany and the Netherlands led the list, each accounting for an export value between 900 million and one billion euros in 2020.

Fitness equipment trends

Although a lack of exercise is a common problem in the lives of many Europeans, a significant share of people do at least own fitness equipment articles. In 2021, about three-quarters of consumers in the United Kingdom owned a home fitness product, while for Germany, this was the case for about four in five survey respondents. Some of the fitness items found most frequently in British homes, included classics, such as weights, yoga mats, home cycling machines, and treadmills.

In recent years, eHealth trackers and smart watches, which can help users along their healthier lifestyle journey, have also become very popular. In fact, about a third of survey respondents in Sweden said they personally used wearables in 2021. Given this craze, many companies and brands, e.g., Fitbit, Garmin, and Samsung, have tried to dominate said market. As of 2021, the Apple Watch was the most commonly used fitness watch gadget in France.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by D. Tighe, Mar 15, 2022

Key insights

Sales from the manufacture of sports goods in the UK
583m GBP
Turnover of sporting equipment retail stores in Italy
5.9bn EUR
Number of specialized sporting equipment stores in the UK
5,200
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Top online stores in the Sports & Outdoor segment in Germany in 2021, by e-commerce net sales (in million U.S. dollar)

B2C E-Commerce

Germany: Top 10 Sports & Outdoor online stores

Top online stores in the Sports & Outdoor segment in the UK in 2021, by e-commerce net sales (in million U.S. dollar)

B2C E-Commerce

United Kingdom: Top 10 Sports & Outdoor online stores

Europe: market share of the leading five wearable device companies from 2nd quarter 2018 to 1st quarter 2021

Consumer Electronics

Market share of wearable devices in Europe 2Q 2018 to 1Q 2021

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Sporting goods in Germany
Sporting goods in Germany
Fitness equipment in the United States
Fitness equipment in the United States
eSports in Europe
eSports in Europe
Fitness industry in France
Fitness industry in France
Sporting goods industry in Spain
Sporting goods industry in Spain

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