Last updated: October 9, 2026
How many people use fitness apps? In the US, about 41.1% of adults owned a health wearable in 2024 and 58.23% of phone owners had downloaded a health app by 2015. How many keep using them? Far fewer. In Apptopia's data, the top Health & Fitness apps kept only 6.29% (Google Play) to 9.48% (iOS) of new users after 30 days.
This page collects fitness app statistics from primary sources only: government data, peer-reviewed papers and the original industry reports. Every number links to the page where we checked it. Retention definitions differ between reports, so read the caveats before you compare numbers.
Key fitness app statistics
- 6.29% to 9.48% of new users were still using the top Health & Fitness apps after 30 days (Apptopia, January 2019 data). Source
- 45.7% of US health app downloaders had stopped using at least some apps (Krebs and Duncan, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2015). Source
- 43% was the pooled dropout rate in app-based chronic disease studies (Meyerowitz-Katz et al., JMIR, 2020). Source
- 41.1% of US adults owned a wearable for health management in 2024, up from 30.2% in 2020 (HINTS analysis, European Heart Journal Digital Health, 2026). Source
- 3.96 billion Health & Fitness app downloads in 2025, up only 0.8% (Sensor Tower, 2026). Source
- $4.5 billion in Health & Fitness in-app purchase revenue in 2025, up 13% (Sensor Tower, 2026). Source
- 24.2% of US adults met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines in 2020 (CDC/NCHS, 2022). Source
Fitness App Statistics: How Many People Use Fitness Apps?
There is no single count of fitness app users. Surveys ask different questions, in different years, about different things (health apps, fitness apps, wearables). The numbers below are the best primary data we could verify.
In a June 2015 national survey of 1,604 US mobile phone users, 58.23% (934 people) had downloaded a health-related app, and fitness and nutrition apps were the most-used categories. Source: Krebs and Duncan, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2015.
Wearables are easier to count. Pew Research Center found that 21% of US adults regularly wore a smartwatch or fitness tracker in a June 2019 survey of 4,272 adults. Source: Pew Research Center, 2019.
The most recent national figures come from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). The share of US adults owning a wearable for health management rose from 30.2% in 2020 to 41.1% in 2024, about 108 million adults. Daily use is much lower. Source: Pedroso et al., European Heart Journal Digital Health, 2026.
| US adults and wearables | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Own a wearable for health management | 30.2% | 41.1% |
| Use a wearable daily | 15.1% | 18.5% |
Source: HINTS analysis by Pedroso et al., European Heart Journal Digital Health, 2026 (HINTS 2020 and 2024 cycles).
Note the gap. Owning a device and using it every day are different things, and this is the same pattern we see with apps.
Fitness App Retention Statistics: Most Users Leave Within a Month
This is the number most articles quote without a source, so here is the one we could open. Apptopia measured 30-day retention (the share of new users still using an app after 30 days) for the most popular Health & Fitness apps in January. The range was 3.4% to 15.8%. The average for the top downloaded apps was 6.29% on Google Play and 9.48% on iOS. Source: Apptopia, published February 2019.
| 30-day retention of new users, January (Apptopia) | 30-day retention |
|---|---|
| Top H&F apps, iOS average | 9.48% |
| Calm, Google Play | 8.34% |
| Headspace, Google Play | 7.65% |
| Top H&F apps, Google Play average | 6.29% |
| Sweatcoin, iOS | 4.26% |
| Sweatcoin, Google Play | 3.62% |
Source: Apptopia, published February 12, 2019 (January data). The page does not state the year of the data, so we assume January 2019.
Caveats on the retention number
This data is from 2019 and covers only the top downloaded apps. Apptopia does not publish its exact formula. Other firms, such as Adjust and AppsFlyer, publish their own Health & Fitness day-30 benchmarks, and secondary sites quote figures from roughly 3% to 8%. We could not open those reports to check them, so we do not use them here. Treat 6% to 9% as the order of magnitude, not a precise current figure.
Peer-reviewed research points the same way, using different definitions. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies of app-based interventions for chronic disease, the pooled dropout rate was 43% (95% CI 29 to 57). Those are health condition apps, not gym apps, and the studies were highly varied. Source: Meyerowitz-Katz et al., Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020.
In the 2015 US survey, 45.7% of people who had downloaded a health app (427 of 934) had stopped using at least some of them. Source: Krebs and Duncan, 2015.
Why People Stop Using Fitness Apps
Here is what 427 former users said in 2015 when asked why they stopped. Respondents could pick more than one reason. Source: Krebs and Duncan, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2015.
| Reasons for stopping use of health apps | Share of former users |
|---|---|
| Data entry took too much time | 44.5% |
| Lost interest | 40.5% |
| Hidden costs | 36.1% |
| Apps were confusing | 32.8% |
| Apps shared data with friends | 29.0% |
Source: Krebs and Duncan, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2015 (n=427 former users, June 2015 survey).
A smaller 2022 survey of 209 mHealth users aged 18 to 65 found a similar story: 31.6% named lack of interest or declining motivation as the reason for abandoning an app, and 21.5% said they tried several apps and uninstalled the unsuitable ones. In that sample, 48.8% used health or fitness apps daily or several times a week. Source: Mustafa et al., Healthcare (Basel), 2022. It is a small, self-selected online sample, so do not generalize it.
Fitness App Downloads and Spending
Sensor Tower reported that global Health & Fitness downloads hit 3.6 billion in 2024, up 6% year over year, with the US capturing more than half of global consumer spending in the category. Source: Sensor Tower, State of Mobile Health and Fitness in 2025.
For 2025, Sensor Tower counted 3.96 billion installs, up just 0.8%, while in-app purchase revenue hit a record $4.5 billion, up 13%. Source: Sensor Tower, February 2026. The two Sensor Tower articles do not use the same baseline (3.6 billion for 2024 does not square with 0.8% growth to 3.96 billion), so the figures were likely revised between reports. Compare growth rates, not the raw totals across the two articles.
The pattern is clear. Fewer new users are arriving, and the ones who stay are paying more.
Fitness App Market Size: Estimates Disagree
If you are looking for the fitness app market size, you will get different answers depending on the research firm. Each defines "fitness apps" differently, and each sells its own forecast, so treat all of these as estimates, not measurements.
| Firm | Base year size | Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Grand View Research | USD 12.1 billion (2025) | USD 33.6 billion by 2033, 13.4% CAGR (2026-2033) |
| BCC Research (May 2023) | USD 12.8 billion (2021) | USD 34.3 billion by 2027, 18.1% CAGR (2022-2027) |
| Technavio (May 2026) | Not stated on the page | USD 155.69 billion added over 2026-2030, 28.6% CAGR |
Grand View Research valued the fitness app market at USD 12.1 billion in 2025. BCC Research put it at a similar USD 12.8 billion in 2021, and Technavio forecasts a 28.6% growth rate, more than double Grand View's 13.4%. Sensor Tower's $4.5 billion in 2025 in-app purchase revenue covers only app store spending in one category, which is one reason the totals differ. If you cite a market size, name the firm and the year.
Why Retention Matters: The Activity Gap
Apps exist because most adults do not exercise enough. In 2020, only 24.2% of US adults met both the aerobic and the muscle-strengthening guidelines, and 46.3% met neither. Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Data Brief No. 443, 2022.
| US adults meeting the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines | Share of adults |
|---|---|
| Met neither | 46.3% |
| Met both | 24.2% |
| Aerobic only | 22.7% |
| Muscle-strengthening only | 6.8% |
Source: CDC/NCHS, NCHS Data Brief No. 443, 2022 (2020 National Health Interview Survey).
What Research Says Keeps People Using Fitness Apps
Evidence here is thin and mostly correlational. One 2026 cross-sectional study of 2,771 users of a strength training app measured how many days passed between registration and a user's last recorded workout. The mean was 125.99 days overall, 80.73 days for free plan users and 153.53 days for subscribers. Source: Fuente-Vidal et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2026. This does not prove that paying makes people stay. People who are already committed may be more likely to subscribe.
What This Means for You
The data does not say fitness apps are useless. It says most people drop them fast, and the reasons they give are boring: lost interest, too much typing, apps that do not fit. Three things help.
- Pick one routine and keep it. Constantly switching apps and plans was a top reason for abandonment in the 2022 survey. A simple plan you repeat beats a perfect plan you drop.
- Log less, but log the right things. Data entry was the top reason people quit in 2015. For lifting, tracking sets, reps and weight is enough. See our guide to using a weight training journal and our comparison of paper vs digital workout planners.
- Give each session a target. Interest fades when workouts feel pointless. Progressive overload gives every session a clear goal: beat last time by a rep or a little weight. If you are stuck, the what's blocking your gains quiz can help, and the one rep max calculator helps you pick starting weights.
Not sure whether an app or a coach is the better fit? Read fitness plan apps vs a personal trainer.
We build GymGod, a workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch, with this retention problem in mind. It shows your last weights, reps and goals the moment you start an exercise, and auto-progression works out your next weight from what you actually lifted. Each session starts with a clear number to beat. Your first 3 workouts are free, with no account needed. See the features and pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people use fitness apps?
There is no single count. In a 2015 US survey, 58.23% of phone owners had downloaded a health app. In HINTS data, 41.1% of US adults owned a wearable for health management in 2024, but only 18.5% used one daily.
What is the retention rate of fitness apps?
In Apptopia's January data (published 2019), the top downloaded Health & Fitness apps kept 6.29% of new users on Google Play and 9.48% on iOS after 30 days. Other firms use different definitions and report different numbers.
How big is the fitness app market?
Grand View Research valued it at USD 12.1 billion in 2025, with a forecast of USD 33.6 billion by 2033. Other firms use different definitions and forecasts, so estimates vary widely. Sensor Tower counted $4.5 billion in Health & Fitness in-app purchase revenue in 2025.
Why do people stop using fitness apps?
In a 2015 US survey of former health app users, the top reasons were data entry taking too much time (44.5%), losing interest (40.5%) and hidden costs (36.1%). A 2022 survey found lack of interest or declining motivation was the top reason (31.6%).
Cite this page
Feel free to quote any number on this page. Please link back:
Source: GymGod, "Fitness App Statistics: Fewer Than 1 in 10 New Users Are Still Active After 30 Days", https://gymgod.app/blog/fitness-app-statistics.html (October 9, 2026)
<a href="https://gymgod.app/blog/fitness-app-statistics.html">GymGod: Fitness App Statistics: Fewer Than 1 in 10 New Users Are Still Active After 30 Days</a>
Please also cite the original source listed below for any individual number.
Sources
- Apptopia, "We know you didn't keep your New Year's resolutions," 2019. https://apptopia.com/en/insights/we-know-you-didnt-keep-your-new-years-resolutions/
- Krebs P, Duncan DT, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, "Health App Use Among US Mobile Phone Owners: A National Survey," 2015. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4704953/
- Meyerowitz-Katz G et al., Journal of Medical Internet Research, "Rates of Attrition and Dropout in App-Based Interventions for Chronic Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7556375
- Mustafa AS et al., Healthcare (Basel), "User Engagement and Abandonment of mHealth: A Cross-Sectional Survey," 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8872344/
- Fuente-Vidal A et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth, "Analysis of Training Behavior in Users of a Fitness App: Cross-Sectional Study," 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12828317/
- Pew Research Center, "About one-in-five Americans use a smart watch or fitness tracker," 2020 (survey fielded June 2019). https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/01/09/about-one-in-five-americans-use-a-smart-watch-or-fitness-tracker/
- Pedroso AF et al., European Heart Journal Digital Health, "National trends in the use of wearables for health management and sharing of data with clinicians in the United States, 2020-2024," 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12795147
- Sensor Tower, "State of Mobile Health and Fitness in 2025," 2025 (2024 data). https://sensortower.com/blog/state-of-mobile-health-and-fitness-in-2025
- Sensor Tower, "Health and fitness apps and AI," 2026 (2025 data). https://sensortower.com/blog/health-and-fitness-apps-ai
- Grand View Research, "Fitness Apps Market (2026-2033)," 2026. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/fitness-app-market
- BCC Research, "Fitness Apps: Global Market Size, Share & Growth Forecast," 2023. https://www.bccresearch.com/market-research/information-technology/global-fitness-apps-market.html
- Technavio, "Fitness App Market Analysis," 2026. https://www.technavio.com/report/fitness-app-market-industry-analysis
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics, "Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020 (NCHS Data Brief No. 443)," 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db443.htm
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Statistics were checked against the linked source pages on October 9, 2026. If you spot an error or a newer figure, please contact us.
