Gym membership is at a record high, more adults are exercising than a decade ago, and new health trends are creating client groups that barely existed five years ago. But the workforce numbers tell a more complicated story about competition and churn.
If you are thinking of training as a personal trainer, the first question is a practical one: will there be enough clients?
On the demand side, the data in 2026 is strong. Participation in fitness is rising, gym membership has never been higher, and the NHS and health bodies are pushing more people towards exercise. On the supply side, the picture is less tidy. The number of fitness instructors moves around from quarter to quarter, recruitment is driven partly by people leaving, and most trainers work for themselves.
This guide brings the evidence together.
Record numbers are exercising
Sport England’s Active Lives survey, the official measure of activity in England, was published in April 2026. It found that between November 2024 and November 2025:
- 30.9 million adults (64.6%) were active, doing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. That was up 859,000 on the previous year.
- 15.3 million adults took part in fitness activities at least twice in four weeks, up 921,000 (1.4%). The largest recent increases were in gym sessions and exercise machines.
- 24.7% of adults were inactive, doing less than 30 minutes a week.
That last figure matters for personal trainers too. Inactive people are often the ones who most need guidance to get started.
Gyms have never had more members
The UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026, published in April 2026 by ukactive with Sport England, 4GLOBAL and Grant Thornton, found:
- a record 12.2 million gym members over the age of 16, or 18% of the population, up from 14.6% in 2022;
- 679 million visits to health and fitness clubs in 2025, up 10% in a year, and nearly double the number of GP visits recorded in NHS data;
- 5,842 clubs, up 4.2% since 2024.
More gyms and more members mean more potential places to work and more potential clients.
The chains are still expanding
The growth is visible in individual companies. PureGym, the UK’s largest gym chain by number of sites, grew from 410 UK gyms at the start of 2025 to 455 by the end of the year, according to its 2025 annual report. Its “other revenue streams”, which it says include day passes and income from personal trainers, rose from £36 million in 2024 to £42 million in 2025.
Health is becoming the biggest driver
Much of the new demand for personal trainers comes from health, not appearance.
Weight and obesity
According to the Health Survey for England 2024, published by NHS England in January 2026, 66% of adults are overweight or living with obesity, and 30% are living with obesity.
Weight-loss medicines
Weight-loss drugs are reshaping the market. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimated in December 2024 that around 3.4 million people in England are eligible for the weight-loss drug tirzepatide, with about 220,000 expected to receive it in the first three years. NICE says it should be given “alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.”
A report by ukactive and Les Mills, published in December 2025, said around 2.5 million people in the UK are taking weight-loss drugs. It cited evidence that 20 to 50% of the weight lost can be lean body mass, including muscle and bone. The authors recommended strength training two to three times a week for users, and urged gyms to train staff to support them.
That creates a clear role for trainers who understand strength training and can work with people on these medicines.
An ageing population
The Office for National Statistics projects that the number of people in the UK aged 85 and over will nearly double, from about 1.7 million in mid-2022 to about 3.3 million by mid-2047. Strength, balance and mobility training for older adults is a specialist area that is likely to grow with them.
GP referrals
Personal trainers are already part of the health system for some clients. In PureGym’s UK Fitness Report 2025/26, 15% of the company’s personal trainers said they were currently working with a client referred by a GP, and a further 18% had done so previously. Obesity (26%) and joint conditions (13%) were the most common reasons for referral. More than half (52%), though, had never received a GP referral request.
How many personal trainers are there?
This is where the picture becomes less clear.
There is no official count of personal trainers alone. The closest measure is the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey category for “fitness and wellbeing instructors”, which includes gym instructors and class teachers as well as personal trainers.
According to Statista, which republishes the survey data, about 62,400 people worked in that occupation in the first quarter of 2026, down from 64,800 in the previous quarter. Quarterly survey estimates for small occupations are volatile, so these figures are best treated as a rough guide.
The longer-term trend shows strong growth followed by disruption. CIMSPA’s 2023 workforce report, produced by labour-market analysts Lightcast, found that fitness instructor jobs grew “from approximately 28,000 jobs in 2006 to almost 80,000 (175%)” by 2019, driven largely by freelance work. The pandemic then cut numbers, and the report said they were still below 2019 levels in 2022.
Supply versus demand
A rough comparison helps to show the scale. With 12.2 million gym members and about 62,400 fitness and wellbeing instructors, there is roughly one instructor for every 196 gym members, by our calculation. That ratio ignores the fact that many members never use a trainer, and that many instructors are not personal trainers. But it suggests that the potential market is large relative to the workforce.
Plenty of vacancies, and plenty of churn
Job adverts for fitness roles are plentiful. UCAS, using Lightcast data, reports 34,852 vacancies for fitness and wellbeing instructors in the past year, and projects job growth of 5.46% over the next eight years. CIMSPA’s own sector jobs board had listed more than 30,000 openings across sport and physical activity by 2024, a year after its launch.
Not all of those vacancies are new jobs. CIMSPA’s workforce report found that job postings across sport and physical activity reached about 71,000 in 2022, around 47% more than in 2019. But it linked much of that to “labour market churn post-COVID, rather than jobs growth.” People are moving in and out of roles more often.
High churn is a mixed signal for aspiring trainers. It means employers are often hiring. It also means many people leave the job, which is worth thinking about before you start.
Where the demand is strongest
Putting the evidence together, the strongest demand in 2026 appears to be in:
- Strength training for people using weight-loss medicines, to help protect muscle while they lose weight.
- Older adults, whose numbers are rising fastest and who benefit from strength, balance and mobility work.
- Health-related training, including clients referred by GPs for obesity or joint problems.
- Beginners, including the quarter of adults who are currently inactive.
- New and expanding gyms, especially budget chains opening new sites.
Many of these areas reward further qualifications, such as exercise referral or specialist courses for older adults.
The pipeline of new gym-goers
Demand is not just about today’s members. PureGym’s UK Fitness Report 2025/26 found that a further 17% of the population were planning to join a gym in the coming months. Among parents the figure was more than a quarter (27%), compared with 14% of non-parents. That is company research rather than official statistics, but it points to continued growth in the customer base.
The independent count of clubs supports the picture. The 2026 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report from LeisureDB (now Evolve), summarised by Health Club Management, recorded 205 club openings and 82 closures so far in 2026, and a penetration rate of 17.6%.
Is the market saturated?
It is a fair question. Tens of thousands of people work as fitness instructors, and new trainers qualify every year.
The evidence suggests the market is competitive rather than saturated. Participation and membership are both rising. Health policy is pushing more people to exercise. And the health-related client groups, such as weight-loss drug users and older adults, need more specialist knowledge than a basic qualification provides.
Pay data offers a note of caution. UCAS, using Lightcast data, gives normal pay for fitness and wellbeing instructors as £14,266 a year. That figure covers many part-time and lower-paid roles, but it is a reminder that demand for exercise does not guarantee high earnings.
Where the market is crowded is at the generalist end. A newly qualified trainer offering the same service as everyone else in the same gym will find it harder to win clients than one with a clear specialism.
Frequently asked questions
How many people are gym members in the UK?
A record 12.2 million people over 16 were members in 2025, or 18% of the population, according to the UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026. LeisureDB’s separate count put the figure at 12.1 million.
Are there jobs for newly qualified personal trainers?
Yes. UCAS reports more than 34,000 vacancies for fitness and wellbeing instructors in the past year. Many large chains, including PureGym, recruit self-employed trainers to their gyms, and some run their own academies. The Gym Group reports that 85% of people who completed its academy secured permanent roles.
How many adults are inactive?
Sport England’s Active Lives survey found that 24.7% of adults in England were inactive in 2024-25, doing less than 30 minutes of moderate activity a week. A further 10.7% were “fairly active”. Many of these people are potential clients who need help to get started.
Which client groups are growing fastest?
On the evidence, older adults, people using weight-loss medicines and people with health conditions referred by their GP. Sport England’s data shows activity rising fastest among older age groups.
Turning demand into clients
Market data shows where demand exists. Turning it into paying clients is a practical exercise. The evidence in this guide suggests a few starting points:
- Choose your location carefully. New gyms bring new members but no existing trainers. Established gyms have more members but more competition.
- Pick a client group. The growth areas, from older adults to weight-loss drug users, each need specific knowledge and marketing.
- Build links with health professionals. GP referrals are still uncommon, with more than half of PureGym’s trainers never receiving one, but they are growing.
- Focus on retention. Clients who stay are worth more than clients who leave after a month. PureGym’s trainers most often kept clients for seven to 12 months.
What this means if you are thinking of training
Demand for exercise and for gyms is clearly growing, and the health system increasingly wants people to be more active. That is good news for anyone entering the profession.
But demand for exercise does not automatically become demand for you. Most personal trainers are self-employed, the workforce changes quickly, and clients choose trainers they trust. The trainers best placed to benefit are likely to be those who:
- specialise in one of the growing client groups;
- understand health conditions and can work alongside healthcare professionals;
- build relationships that keep clients coming back.
The bottom line
Is there demand for personal trainers in 2026? On the evidence, yes. A record 12.2 million people are gym members, 15.3 million adults in England take part in fitness activities, and health trends from obesity to weight-loss drugs to an ageing population are creating new reasons to seek expert help.
The challenge is not a lack of potential clients. It is turning that potential into a stable business in a workforce marked by high turnover. Those who specialise and focus on health are likely to find the strongest demand.
Sources
Sport England: Active Lives Adult Survey November 2024-25 — April 2026
ukactive: UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026 — 9 April 2026
Pinnacle Bidco plc (PureGym) Annual Report 2025 — 24 April 2026
NHS England: Health Survey for England 2024, adults’ overweight and obesity — 27 January 2026
NICE: How tirzepatide will be rolled out — December 2024
ukactive and Les Mills: GLP-1 medications and muscle mass — 7 December 2025
ONS: National population projections, 2022-based — 28 January 2025
Health Club Management: LeisureDB (Evolve) 2026 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report — 2026
The Gym Group plc Annual Report 2024 — 2025
PureGym UK Fitness Report 2025/26 — 8 December 2025
Statista: Number of fitness instructors in the UK (ONS LFS, SOC 3433) — updated July 2026
CIMSPA 2023 Workforce Insights Report — 2023
UCAS: Fitness and wellbeing instructors (Lightcast data) — accessed October 2026
CIMSPA Annual Report 2023-2024 — 2024
