Group exercise spans studio classes, community programs and digital sessions. The statistics below define participation carefully, distinguish survey descriptions from trial results, and identify the populations, periods and geographies behind each measure.
Key Group Exercise Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In the 2022 United Kingdom survey, 275 respondents qualified as current group-fitness participants by taking classes at least twice in the previous 28 days.
- In that 2022 UK participant survey, 32% reported taking yoga as a group class during the previous 12 months.
- In the same survey, 27% reported body conditioning during the previous 12 months.
- In the same survey, 27% reported weights-based classes during the previous 12 months.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 22% reported cardio classes during the previous 12 months.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 22% reported high-intensity classes during the previous 12 months.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 22% reported Pilates during the previous 12 months.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 18% used live-stream classes and 20% used on-demand classes.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 43% reported using wearable technology in classes, while 49% reported not using it.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 35% of current participants reported a long-term health condition, impairment or illness lasting or expected to last at least 12 months.
- In the 2022 UK survey, 33% preferred text or WhatsApp for communication with an instructor or venue.
- In the GOAL trial in Greater Vancouver, similar-age mixed-gender groups averaged 19.85 classes over 12 weeks.
- In the same trial, similar-age mixed-gender groups had a 12-week adherence effect size of d=0.51 versus standard mixed-age mixed-gender groups.
- In the JAMA On the Move trial, 50.0% attended at least 20 of 24 classes.
- In that trial, On the Move improved gait speed by 0.05 m/s on average, compared with a 0.01 m/s decline in usual care.
- In the JAMA trial, On the Move participants improved six-minute walk distance by 20.6 m on average over 24 weeks.
- In the San Diego multilevel trial, intervention participants averaged 56.79 daily accelerometer minutes at the 760-counts-per-minute threshold after six months, versus 39.24 in controls.
- In the same trial, systolic blood pressure fell by 6.8 points on average in the intervention condition at six months.
Contents
- Key Group Exercise Statistics
- Group Exercise Participation Statistics and Class Types
- Group Exercise Locations, Formats and Digital Participation
- Group Fitness Demographics, Health and Inclusion Data
- Group Exercise Adherence and Attendance in Trials
- Group Exercise Mobility, Activity and Health Outcomes
- Group Exercise Market Opportunity, Barriers and Safety
Group Exercise Participation Statistics and Class Types
The 2022 Group fitness participant survey defines a current participant as someone who took group fitness classes at least twice in the previous 28 days. Its participant base was 275 respondents, an unweighted survey base rather than a national population count. Group fitness participant survey 2022 full report
Among these current UK participants, the reported class mix was:
- Yoga: 32% in the previous 12 months.
- Body conditioning: 27% in the previous 12 months.
- Weights-based classes: 27% in the previous 12 months.
- Cardio, high-intensity and Pilates classes: 22% each in the previous 12 months.
- Dance-based fitness classes: 13% in the previous 12 months.
These were multiple-response questions, so the percentages are not mutually exclusive. The three most common class types within the surveyed participant group were yoga, body conditioning and weights-based classes, while walking was the most popular non-group activity reported for the previous 12 months.
Group Exercise Locations, Formats and Digital Participation
Venue and delivery data show group exercise operating across facilities, homes and digital channels. In the 2022 UK survey, leisure centres accounted for 22% of reported group-fitness participation locations.
| Location or format | Result | Period and population |
|---|---|---|
| Leisure centres | 22% | 2022 UK current participants |
| Home or someone else’s house | 6% to 22% | 2020 to 2022 UK survey waves |
| Dance halls or studios | 17% to 12% | 2020 to 2022 UK survey waves |
| Live-stream classes | 18% | 2022 UK current participants |
| On-demand classes | 20% | 2022 UK current participants |
Taking group fitness at the respondent’s or someone else’s house rose from 6% in 2020 to 22% in 2022, a descriptive 16-percentage-point difference between survey waves. Dance halls or studios fell from 17% to 12%; these comparisons are not causal COVID estimates and use separate, unweighted participant bases. Group fitness participant survey 2022 full report
Digital participation was not limited to one mode: 18% reported live-stream classes and 20% reported on-demand classes in 2022. Mode categories were self-reported and may not be exclusive.
Wearables were also mixed: 43% reported using wearable technology in classes, while 49% reported not using it, with 8% in another response category. This describes survey responses, not device-market penetration.
Discovery and communication were similarly varied. Word of mouth was cited by 32% for finding classes, private health clubs or leisure centres by 25%, and internet search by 20%; text or WhatsApp was the preferred communication method for 33%, compared with 19% for email. Group fitness participant survey 2022 full report
Group Fitness Demographics, Health and Inclusion Data
The 2022 UK participant survey also describes who was represented in its current-participant sample. Thirty-five percent reported a long-term health condition, impairment or illness lasting or expected to last at least 12 months.
That measure is self-reported and is not a clinical diagnosis rate. Within the surveyed current participants, 5% identified as gay or lesbian and 2% as bisexual; these are self-reported sample-composition figures, not population estimates. Group fitness participant survey 2022 full report
The health and inclusion figures should therefore be read alongside the survey design: the participant base is unweighted, current participation is defined by the previous 28 days, and the sexual-orientation measures describe respondents who answered the survey.
Group Exercise Adherence and Attendance in Trials
Trial evidence measures adherence differently from population surveys. It can show attendance under a defined schedule, but selected older-adult samples and specific programs should not be generalized to all group exercise users.
The GOAL randomized trial enrolled 627 older adults in Greater Vancouver, Canada; mean age was 71.57 years and 71.0% were female. Over 12 weeks, the similar-age mixed-gender condition averaged 19.85 classes, compared with 13.95 in the standard mixed-age mixed-gender condition. Group-based physical activity for older adults (GOAL) randomized controlled trial: Exercise adherence outcomes
| GOAL comparison with standard mixed-age mixed-gender groups | 12 weeks | 24 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Similar-age, mixed-gender adherence effect | d=0.51 | d=0.47 |
| Similar-age, same-gender adherence effect | d=0.28 | d=0.29 |
These are condition-specific Cohen’s d effect sizes, not population participation rates. The trial’s intervention, class schedule and YMCA/community setting define what the attendance results mean.
The JAMA On the Move trial involved community-dwelling older adults in US senior facilities and centers. Postintervention testing was completed by 142 of 152 On the Move participants, or 93.4%, and by 139 of 146 usual-care participants, or 95.2%.
Attendance at least 20 of 24 classes was recorded for 50.0% of On the Move participants and 65.1% of usual-care participants. Satisfaction was high among respondents: 97.0% of On the Move participants and 96.9% of usual-care participants were satisfied or very satisfied. Effectiveness of a Timing and Coordination Group Exercise Program to Improve Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial
A separate multilevel trial across 11 San Diego retirement communities reported average group education-session attendance of 82% over the first six months. Intervention-condition attendance ranged from 76% to 93%, while control-condition attendance ranged from 73% to 87%; these were group education sessions, not necessarily every exercise session. Cluster randomized controlled trial of a multilevel physical activity intervention for older adults
Group Exercise Mobility, Activity and Health Outcomes
The JAMA On the Move trial measured mobility over 24 weeks. On the Move improved gait speed by 0.05 m/s on average, while usual care declined by 0.01 m/s; the adjusted between-group difference was 0.05 m/s (P=.002).
Six-minute walk distance improved by 20.6 m in On the Move and 4.1 m in usual care, producing an adjusted between-group difference of 16.7 m (P=.03). At baseline, 57.0% of participants had six-minute walk distance below 300 m, reflecting a trial population selected for slow walking rather than all older adults. Effectiveness of a Timing and Coordination Group Exercise Program to Improve Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial
The San Diego multilevel trial used accelerometer thresholds, which are study measures rather than direct equivalents of self-reported moderate-to-vigorous activity. At six months, intervention and control averages were:
| Accelerometer threshold | Intervention | Control |
|---|---|---|
| 760 counts/minute | 56.79 daily minutes | 39.24 daily minutes |
| 1,041 counts/minute | 40.59 daily minutes | 23.78 daily minutes |
| 1,952 counts/minute | 15.60 daily minutes | 6.29 daily minutes |
The same trial reported six-month average declines of 6.8 points in systolic blood pressure and 2.5 points in diastolic blood pressure in the intervention condition. Clinically high blood pressure declined by 18.2 percentage points at six months, but these effects were no longer significant at 12 months. Cluster randomized controlled trial of a multilevel physical activity intervention for older adults
Group Exercise Market Opportunity, Barriers and Safety
The 2022 UK survey indicates both a current participant base and a pool of people with prior or no class experience. Among people who had not participated in group fitness classes in the previous 12 months, 73% had never attended a group fitness class; the base was 1,143 non-current class participants, not the whole UK population.
Among 283 non-regular participants who had attended before, 33% were interested in returning to group fitness classes. The survey also found that the share of current participants reporting no other sport, exercise or fitness before starting classes fell from 24% in 2020 to 21% in 2022, a descriptive comparison of survey waves. Group fitness participant survey 2022 full report
These figures should not be combined into a single market size or demand forecast. Survey percentages, trial attendance, effect sizes, accelerometer thresholds and blood-pressure changes describe different populations and measures, while the trial evidence concerns selected older adults, specific class designs, venues and follow-up periods.