Saudi Arabia

Country Insights

Women's Fitness and New Formats Drive Saudi Growth

By Donal McElwee, Managing Partner, CAA Portas

Industry Performance and Market Dynamics

As the largest economy in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) remains one of the region’s most dynamic and promising fitness markets, with the industry expected to nearly double to approximately SAR 17 billion by 2030, reflecting an annual growth rate of 15%.

The KSA fitness sector continued its strong performance through 2025, with growth concentrated at either end of the sector. High-value, low-cost operators and premium and concept studios are experiencing strong growth, buoyed by differentiated propositions that cater to specific segments of the KSA market, while the mid-tier segment is increasingly being ‘squeezed’ in market share. Women’s fitness is the standout growth segment. For example, Leejam, KSA’s largest operator, reported 19% annual revenue growth from its women’s gyms in Q2 2025–Q2 2026, six times faster growth than from its male gyms.

Consumer preferences are evolving in line with global trends. Strength-based training and functional fitness continue to be in high demand, while operators report growing interest in group exercise and community-driven formats. Adjacent sports activities are also seeing rapid growth in the Kingdom such as Pilates and padel – which saw 174% CAGR in the number of courts from 2021–2024. Fitness operators have identified these as opportunities and are increasingly broadening their propositions to offer these sports alongside traditional gym offerings.

Despite headline growth, general sentiment on market conditions in 2025 was mixed. Among the chain gyms surveyed—including nine of the Kingdom’s 10 largest chains—50% described 2025 market conditions as ‘challenging’. Operators noted margin pressure from rising competition fragmenting demand across more branches and operating pressures such as higher rents and increased investment requirements in AI and technology.

Policy, Advocacy, and Public Health

Vision 2030 is the driving force behind KSA’s economic and social transformation where sport and physical activity continues to be a priority sector, and continued private and public investment is enabling a society that is more physically active than ever before. In 2025, 59% of adults aged 18+ were physically active for 150 minutes or more per week, nearly double the 29.7% recorded in 2021.

The regulatory framework for the fitness sector also continues to strengthen. The Ministry of Sport’s NAFES licensing platform provides verified data on the number, type, and geographic distribution of licensed fitness facilities across the Kingdom, supporting better market intelligence and regulatory oversight. A new Sports Law came into force in 2026, modernising governance and helping to create the conditions for private investment into the sector.

Economic and External Context

KSA’s economy demonstrated another robust year in 2025, with GDP growing 4.5% as both oil and non-oil sectors performing strongly. Non-oil GDP, representing approximately 55% of the economy, grew 4.9% in 2025, reflecting continued progress on the Vision 2030 diversification agenda. While growth is expected to moderate to 1.7% in 2026, the outlook remains positive with non-oil activity and government expenditure continuing to provide a strong foundation, and GDP growth forecast to rebound to 5.5% in 2027.

The labour market remains strong. Unemployment rates and labour force participation remained stable through 2025 and into 2026, reflecting business confidence and continued investment in the workforce, supporting household incomes and consumption.

KSA’s growing and youthful population is also creating attractive economic conditions. Currently 40% of the population (approximately 14 million) are under the age of 24, and the total population is expected to reach 40 million by 2030, helping to provide a structural demand driver for fitness participation.

Outlook and Key Drivers

The KSA fitness sector is projected to grow to SAR 9.9 billion in 2026 and SAR 17.0 billion by 2030, representing 15% annual growth from 2025–2030. This growth will be driven by continued expansion of gyms, reaching over 2,700 by 2030, and a young, active population continuing to take up memberships, with total members projected to exceed 3.5 million by 2030.

This presents several growth opportunities for fitness operators:

1. Geographic expansion into new regions, where cities outside of Riyadh and Jeddah are relatively underserved and present latent demand

2. Capturing growing demographic profiles, including women, youth, and the active-aging population

3. Developing new propositions through parallel sports and activities such as Pilates, padel, and wellness, where growing consumer demand can offer operators the opportunity to increase spend per customer

It’s an incredibly exciting time for the KSA fitness sector, with strong momentum and underlying fundamentals meaning it’s well positioned for continued growth in 2026 and beyond.