United Kingdom

Country Insights

Growth and Social Value Strengthen the Case for Health Integration

By Clemency Lion, Director of Research, Policy and Communications, ukactive

Industry Performance and Market Dynamics

Now in its second year of production, the 2026 UK Health & Fitness Market Report has once again brought together the most authoritative data set on the sector in the UK, building on the insights generated in last year's inaugural report. Produced through a collaboration between ukactive, 4Global, Sport England and Grant Thornton, with data supplied directly by the country's largest operators, the report includes analysis on social value, performance data, M&A information and consumer insights.

The UK market has seen growth continue at a similar pace over the past year across all metrics. Different segments of the market are driving different areas of growth. The increase in the number of clubs has been driven primarily by private, multi-site operators, who have accelerated their growth by expanding their estates. Diversification of operating models is attracting a wider audience, with high-value, low-cost operators catering for those with tighter budgets, premium operators focusing on holistic wellbeing and recovery facilities, and mid-market operators elevating their value propositions to balance price with a breadth of services.

For public operators, with significantly fewer new club openings, growth has come from attracting new members to existing clubs to fill capacity and serve local community demands with a widening breadth of services, including health programmes, pay-as-you-go options and swimming. Data from independent gyms indicate that they are primarily contributing to the increased number of visits, with member levels remaining relatively flat but those members using facilities more frequently.

Consumers in the UK are increasingly favouring fitness activities to look after their health. The ukactive consumer survey shows that behind walking, the next most common activities are home-based exercise without online content (27%), gym, fitness or exercise classes away from home (22%), and home-based exercise using online content (22%). Membership of gyms and leisure centres is highest among younger demographics, with a fairly steep and continuing drop-off after age 44. Motivations are also shifting away from aesthetics and more toward feeling good and ageing well.

Policy, Advocacy, and Public Health

The physical and mental benefits of being physically active are being increasingly recognised by both consumers and government departments in the UK, and can now be quantified for the sector as a whole by calculating social value. Social value represents the positive economic, social and environmental benefits generated for individuals and communities by the nation's gyms and leisure centres.

In 2025, the sector generated £7.46 billion in attributable social value, reflecting the significant contribution of the facility-based fitness sector to national health and wellbeing outcomes. Individual wellbeing--the direct, immediate benefits to individuals' life satisfaction that arise from being physically active—is the primary contributor, accounting for 88% of the total. Health-related outcomes also account for a meaningful proportion of the total social value, particularly by reducing the risk of conditions such as depression, type 2 diabetes, psychological distress, coronary heart disease and stroke.

The ability for social value to demonstrate the positive health and wellbeing outcomes delivered by gyms and leisure facilities has the potential to open doors to further integration with the healthcare system. This reinforces the sector's case for being recognised not only as a leisure market, but as part of the country's community health infrastructure.

Economic and External Context

The sector’s continued growth has occurred despite significant increases to the cost of doing business. Like many across the UK, health and fitness businesses have experienced the compounding effect of increases to business taxation, employment costs and energy prices over the past year alone. This has been particularly impactful for independent businesses, which have smaller margins to absorb the increases without being forced to make changes to the way they run their facilities, though public and private operators are also feeling the burden.

Confidence, motivation and cost barriers persist and are the leading reasons for membership cancellations. In the face of cost-of-living increases, consumers continue to prioritise gym memberships within household budgeting, but this will not be possible for all. Financial pressures are likely to limit access to these facilities for those from the lowest income households.

Membership income also rose by more than 14%, reaching £5.7 billion, while total income reached £6.5 billion.

Outlook and Key Drivers

While these costs are expected to continue affecting businesses and consumers, there are several opportunities and trends that will be pivotal in facilitating further growth. Health will continue to play an important role by driving consumer demand and growing government recognition of the sector's importance and value.

The rapid rise in the uptake of GLP-1 medications creates both an opportunity and responsibility for the sector to support sustainable weight-loss and health improvement journeys. For better long-term results, and to prevent significant reductions in bone density or lean mass, it is critical that GLP-1 treatment is coupled with wraparound physical activity support models, which the sector is already delivering in pockets. Collaboration with the health sector will be critical to ensure consistent messaging and results.

Finally, technology and AI will help shape the sector moving forward, with the integration of these tools having the potential to reshape how some businesses operate and how some consumers engage with the sector. Taken together, the UK's strong market performance, social-value evidence and health-policy alignment suggest further growth potential, provided the sector can manage cost pressure while improving access, quality and integration with healthcare.