Fitness industry booms, gyms hit record

HEALTH IS WEALTH: Across the five years surveyed, fitness centers generally showed year-on-year growth, apart from 2021, when income fell due to the impact of COVID-19

The nation’s fitness industry has grown 45.7 percent over the past five years, with the number of gyms hitting a record high, the latest Ministry of Finance figures show.

Growing health awareness and the rising popularity of exercise has fueled the development of sports facilities, the ministry’s Department of Statistics said in its latest fiscal statistics report that reviewed changes in the number of sports facilities and their sales revenue in Taiwan from 2020 through the end of July.

According to business registration and sales data, the number of sports facilities increased from 2,106 in 2020 to 3,069 last year, while total revenue rose from NT$29.89 billion (US$919.5 million) to NT$42.6 billion, the report said.

People exercise at a gym in Taipei in an undated photograph.

Photo: CNA

The figures represent increases of 45.7 percent and 42.5 percent respectively, with fitness centers accounting for the largest share of the growth, it said.

Statistics showed that Taiwan had a record 1,127 fitness centers last year, up 54.8 percent from 2020. The number rose to 1,166 as of the end of July this year, accounting for 36 percent of all sports facilities and making fitness centers the largest category by far, ahead of golf courses and driving ranges, swimming pools and other facilities.

The Department of Statistics attributed the growth to fitness centers’ focus on general physical conditioning and their ability to operate regardless of weather, making them accessible to more people.

The industry has also diversified its services beyond traditional gym equipment, expanding to include group classes and personal training while reaching out to new user segments, it said.

Fitness centers generally recorded year-on-year growth during the period surveyed, with the exception of 2021, when income fell to NT$12.36 billion amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said.

Last year, revenue at fitness centers nationwide reached NT$21.25 billion, surpassing NT$20 billion for the first time and marking a 39.7 percent increase from five years earlier, it said.

Revenue continued to rise in the first seven months of this year, reaching NT$11.36 billion, up 12.6 percent from the same period last year, it added.

Regionally, fitness centers were concentrated in Taiwan’s six special municipalities, where commercial activity is more densely clustered, the department said.

The six regions had a combined 840 fitness centers last year, accounting for 74.5 percent of the national total. Taipei had the most, with 181 centers, or 16.1 percent, followed by Taichung with 173, or 15.4 percent.

The concentration was even more pronounced in terms of revenue, the report showed. The six special municipalities accounted for 82 percent of total fitness center revenue nationwide, led by Taipei with NT$4.03 billion. New Taipei City and Taichung ranked second and third respectively.

Comparing figures from 2020 and last year, Taoyuan recorded the fastest growth in the number of fitness centers, with an increase of more than 160 percent, followed by Taichung, where the number rose 71.3 percent, the report showed. Growth in revenue was more consistent across the six special municipalities, ranging from 25.2 percent to 53.3 percent.

New Taipei City had the highest average annual revenue per fitness center last year, at NT$25.01 million, while Taoyuan had the lowest, at NT$14.38 million, the department said.

Taoyuan’s figure was down more than 40 percent from 2020, possibly reflecting intensifying market competition, it said.