Market evolution: Fitness equipment (CN 950691) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the evolution of EU external trade in fitness equipment under Combined Nomenclature code 950691 ("Articles and equipment for general physical exercise, gymnastics or athletics") over the period 2015–2025. The product heading encompasses two subcategories: exercising apparatus with adjustable resistance mechanisms (95069110) — typically treadmills, ellipticals, and cable machines — and a broader residual category (95069190) covering mats, bars, and other gymnastics and athletics articles.

The decade under review was marked by three defining dynamics: a dramatic pandemic-era demand surge followed by a correction, a deepening structural dependence on Chinese imports, and a parallel expansion of EU exports that increasingly served as a premium, high-value segment of the global market. Overall, EU imports grew by 89.1% in value (from EUR 1.19 billion to EUR 2.25 billion), while exports rose by 86.2% (from EUR 475 million to EUR 885 million). EU domestic production grew by 74.6% in value terms over the same horizon, yet this was not enough to prevent the EU's trade deficit from widening by 91.0%, from EUR −715 million to EUR −1.37 billion.

1. The Home-Fitness Boom, Its Correction, and the Enduring Upward Trend

1.1 A decade of growth punctuated by a spectacular 2021 spike

The EU fitness equipment market expanded steadily between 2015 and 2019, with imports rising from EUR 1.19 billion to approximately EUR 1.41 billion. This baseline growth reflected secular trends: rising health consciousness, urbanisation, and the proliferation of home-gym culture. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 triggered an extraordinary acceleration. Gyms closed across Europe, consumers redirected discretionary spending toward home exercise, and import demand surged. Total imports peaked at approximately EUR 2.93 billion in 2021 — more than double the 2019 level — before retreating sharply to EUR 1.86 billion in 2022 as lockdowns ended and consumer spending rotated back toward services.

1.2 Import volumes tell an even starker story

Because imports from low-cost origins grew disproportionately, the volume picture exceeds the value picture in magnitude. Import quantities roughly doubled over the decade, from 353,082 tonnes in 2015 to 705,744 tonnes in 2025 (+99.9%). The peak was even more dramatic at an estimated 929,591 tonnes. The subcategory 95069190 (general gymnastics and athletics articles) saw its volume peak at 596,747 tonnes in 2021, while the resistance-equipment subcategory 95069110 reached 332,844 tonnes that same year.

1.3 Post-pandemic normalisation settled above the pre-pandemic trend

By 2025, import volumes had corrected to 705,744 tonnes — well below the 2021 peak but still roughly double the 2015 baseline. This suggests that the pandemic did not merely create a temporary spike; it permanently shifted the consumption floor upward. Consumers who adopted home fitness during lockdowns continued purchasing equipment, even as they also returned to commercial gyms.

Sources: General Overview, Product Segment Breakdown

1.4 Import unit prices declined despite inflation, pointing to a volume-driven market

A notable feature of the decade is that average import prices fell by 5.4%, from EUR 3,371 per tonne to EUR 3,190 per tonne, even as general consumer prices in the EU rose significantly. This indicates that the import surge was volume-driven rather than price-driven, consistent with a shift toward cheaper, mass-market equipment. It also reflects the growing dominance of low-unit-value shipments from Asian suppliers.

2. China's Deepening Dominance and Rising Supply Concentration

2.1 China consolidated its position as the overwhelmingly dominant supplier

China was already the EU's largest source of fitness equipment in 2015, supplying EUR 781 million (65.7% of total imports by value). By 2025, Chinese shipments had reached EUR 1.79 billion, representing 79.7% of EU imports — a 129.7% increase in absolute value and a 14-percentage-point gain in market share. At the 2021 peak, China supplied an estimated EUR 2.41 billion, capturing over 82% of the EU market.

2.2 Alternative suppliers lost ground or remained marginal

No other partner came close to challenging China's scale. Taiwan, the second-largest supplier, saw its share decline by 32.6% over the period (from EUR 152 million to EUR 102 million). The United States grew modestly (+20.6% to EUR 164 million), while the United Kingdom — now an extra-EU partner after Brexit — saw its shipments fall by 26.9%. Emerging suppliers such as Vietnam (+418.5%), Turkey (+185.2%), and Pakistan (+102.0%) grew rapidly from low bases but collectively remained a small fraction of China's volume.

Source: Top Partners by Value

2.3 Import concentration rose sharply, amplifying supply-chain risk

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for EU imports by value increased by 40.1%, from 4,638 to 6,499. An HHI above 2,500 is conventionally regarded as highly concentrated; the 2025 level of nearly 6,500 signals extreme supplier concentration. The volume-based HHI followed the same trajectory, rising by 16.9% to 8,569. This deepening dependence on a single origin creates vulnerabilities to geopolitical disruption, logistics bottlenecks, and exchange-rate fluctuations — risks that were vividly illustrated during the pandemic-era supply-chain crises.

2.4 Price volatility varied widely across import origins

Volatility analysis reveals that smaller, more geographically dispersed suppliers exhibited the highest relative price swings. Tunisia (CV 0.80), Hong Kong (0.76), and Ukraine (0.61) showed the greatest import-price instability. Among major partners, the United Kingdom (CV 0.42), Turkey (0.40), and China (0.37) were moderately volatile, while the United States was relatively stable (CV 0.16). For EU exporters, the most volatile destination was the Russian Federation (CV 0.71), likely reflecting sanctions-related disruptions from 2022 onward, and Israel (CV 0.54).

2.5 Within the EU, the Netherlands emerged as the main import gateway

Among EU member states, the Netherlands saw the fastest import growth (+177.7%, from EUR 216 million to EUR 600 million), overtaking Germany as the largest EU importer by value. Poland registered the most striking proportional increase (+281.0%, from EUR 44 million to EUR 167 million), reflecting the country's rapid integration into European logistics and e-commerce fulfilment networks. Spain (+157.5%) and Belgium (+124.7%) also grew strongly.

3. EU Exports: Higher Value, Broader Reach, and an Emerging Specialisation Pattern

3.1 EU exports nearly doubled in value but lagged imports in volume growth

Total EU exports of fitness equipment grew from EUR 475 million to EUR 885 million (+86.2%), while volumes rose from 53,663 tonnes to 75,903 tonnes (+41.4%). The fact that value growth more than doubled volume growth signals a substantial increase in average export prices: from EUR 8,856 per tonne to EUR 11,661 per tonne (+31.7%). In contrast, import prices declined. This widening price gap — EU exports at roughly 3.6 times the price of imports — is consistent with the EU occupying a premium niche: specialised, branded, technologically sophisticated equipment (e.g., smart connected treadmills, commercial-grade resistance machines) versus mass-market imports.

3.2 Export destinations diversified

The HHI for EU exports fell by 16.8% (value basis) and by 27.6% (volume basis), indicating a broadening of destination markets. The United Kingdom remained the largest single destination (EUR 138 million in 2025), followed by the United States (EUR 103 million, nearly doubling) and Switzerland (EUR 109 million, nearly doubling). The most striking growth, however, was registered in exports to China, which surged by 302.7% from EUR 16.5 million to EUR 66.5 million — a sign that EU brands are gaining traction in the Chinese premium fitness segment even as China floods the EU with lower-cost equipment.

3.3 Italy and Germany led EU production and export capacity

Among EU member states, Italy was the largest exporter throughout the period, with shipments growing from EUR 144 million to EUR 260 million (+80.7%). Germany followed at EUR 164 million (+66.5%). The Netherlands was third at EUR 82 million but had peaked at EUR 172 million in an earlier year, suggesting some re-routing effects. Smaller producers showed striking growth: Bulgaria's exports surged 1,110.8% (from EUR 3 million to EUR 37 million), and Sweden's rose 139.9% (from EUR 24 million to EUR 58 million).

3.4 Specialisation analysis reveals distinct national roles

Revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) data for 2025 shows that Finland (RSCA 0.32), the Netherlands (0.30), and Slovakia (0.27) were the most specialised EU exporters in fitness equipment. At the other extreme, Cyprus (RSCA −1.00), Malta (−0.99), and Ireland (−0.94) showed virtually no specialisation, importing almost all of their fitness equipment needs. This polarisation reflects the capital-intensive, brand-driven nature of fitness equipment manufacturing: production concentrates in a handful of member states with established industrial bases (Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Nordic countries), while smaller economies import.

3.5 EU production grew but could not keep pace with demand

EU domestic production rose from EUR 621 million to EUR 1,084 million (+74.6%), peaking at EUR 1,099 million. However, this growth lagged behind the expansion of import demand, and the net import reliance ratio rose from 34.5% to 47.9% (+39.0%), peaking at an extraordinary 69.3% during the 2021 import surge. Similarly, trade intensity nearly doubled (from 58.7% to 91.5%), and export propensity nearly tripled (from 26.1% to 77.2%), indicating that the EU fitness equipment sector is deeply integrated into global trade flows and increasingly oriented toward export markets even as its import dependence grows.

Conclusion

The EU fitness equipment market (CN 950691) underwent a structural transformation between 2015 and 2025. Demand roughly doubled in volume terms, propelled by long-term health and wellness trends and turbo-charged by the COVID-19 pandemic. This expansion, however, was overwhelmingly satisfied by imports — principally from China, which by 2025 supplied nearly four-fifths of the EU market by value. Import concentration, as measured by the HHI, rose to levels that signal significant supply-chain vulnerability.

At the same time, the EU's own production and export base grew robustly. EU manufacturers increasingly positioned themselves in the premium segment, commanding export prices more than three times the average import price. Export destinations diversified, and several smaller member states (Bulgaria, Sweden, Poland) emerged as fast-growing players. Italy and Germany remained the industrial anchors of EU production.

The net result is a market that is larger, more trade-intensive, and more polarised than it was a decade ago: high-volume, low-cost imports coexist with a high-value, specialised European production base. For policymakers and businesses alike, the key challenge going forward will be to manage the risks of extreme import concentration while sustaining the competitive advantages that underpin the EU's premium export niche.