Key Yoga Statistics:
- About 300 million people regularly practice yoga around the globe, with 32 million of them being in the US.
- About 1.7 million children in the US regularly practice yoga.
- Yoga is practiced in about 11% of workplaces due to the many mental and physical health benefits.
- 86% of people who practice yoga state that the exercise helps improve their mental state.
- The global yoga market was worth $41 billion in 2020.
- About 1 in 10 yoga practitioners in the United States will injure themselves during a session.
- About 33% of yoga injuries are serious enough to prevent the practitioner from doing more yoga for weeks or months.
- About 59% of people who practice yoga say that they experience improved sleep.
- More than 10 million men practice yoga in the United States, up from 4 million a decade ago.
- About 72% of yoga practitioners in the United States are women.
- Demand for yoga equipment for use at home more than doubled during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Overview Of The Yoga Industry
How many people practice yoga?
- About 300 million people across the globe practice yoga.
- About one-third of Americans have attempted yoga at least one time.
- There are more than double the number of American men practicing yoga today than there were in 2012.
- Yoga is most commonly practiced in people from ages 30 to 49.
- About 1,700,000 kids in the United States practice yoga regularly.
Yoga is an ancient art that originated in India. There are many different types of yoga. While yoga is a cultural component of many countries in the Asia Pacific area, it has only recently become popular in the West. Interest in yoga has skyrocketed in Western countries because of the many proven health benefits.
You'll find that about 1 in 3 Americans has tried yoga at some point. There are over 30 million regular yoga practitioners in the US alone. While the majority of practitioners are still women, the number of men has grown exponentially over the past several years. More than 10 million men practice yoga today, compared to just 4 million in 2012.
Yoga is also practiced among children. There are about 1.7 million children in the US who do yoga regularly. Yoga has been shown to improve focus and concentration in the classroom. It also helps to reduce excess energy, improve flexibility, and help kids to move around.
Health Benefits Of Yoga
- Yoga improves sleep in about 60% of Americans who practice it.
- Yoga improves flexibility, balance, and coordination.
- Yoga has been shown to reduce stress, especially when combined with meditation.
- Studies show that yoga reduces inflammation markers throughout the body.
- Yoga improves your strength over time while reducing the risk of heart disease.
Yoga has a significant impact on both physical and mental health. Studies consistently show that yoga can reduce stress levels, improve strength and flexibility, and help with concentration. An overwhelming majority of practitioners report that they feel good at the end of a session.
Many people say that they started practicing yoga because they wanted to become more flexible. Not only is flexibility impressive, but it's also important for your health. You need to be able to stretch your tight muscles and relax.
One of the reasons that yoga is so popular is because of the many different variations. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, there are exercises that can work for your body. It's important to be aware that this is exercise, though, and that there are always risks associated with exercise. Flexibility can improve even with low intensity sessions.
Another reason that yoga is popular with older people is because of the improved flexibility. As long as proper precautions are taken, yoga is a relatively safe way for older people to stretch their muscles. One study from 2019 indicated that regular yoga practice could slow the loss of muscle and improve flexibility in older populations.
Aside from the flexibility, one of the biggest health benefits is stress relief. Not only does this do wonders for your mental health, but it also improves your physical health. Constant stress can have a chronic impact on your functioning, leading to tiredness, inflammation, and pain. About 84% of people in the US experience some form of prolonged stress.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that yoga works best as a stress reliever if combined with other practices. For example, combining yoga with meditation will do more for your stress levels than yoga alone. Breath work is also important. It can help to have soothing music or white noise playing during a session, as this helps with relaxation.
Dangers Of Yoga
- About 1 in 10 practitioners of yoga say that the practice causes them musculoskeletal pain.
- Yoga routines can worsen 21% of healing injuries, so you should hold off if you're recovering.
- About 1 in 3 yoga-related injuries is serious enough to prevent the participant from doing more yoga for several months.
- Experts say that it's important to understand that yoga has risks, just like any other form of exercise.
- You can reduce your risk of injury by speaking to your teacher about any physical health conditions, plus staying in tune with your body.
Yoga has the potential to be dangerous, particularly if you aren't following proper precautions. One of the biggest problems is that people are told that yoga is "safe." Because of this, they may not take the precautions that they would if they were starting a different form of exercise.
As with any type of exercise, there is the possibility that you'll hurt yourself doing yoga. If you push too far, you could injure yourself. As a general rule, you shouldn't do any stretches or positions that cause you pain.
Similarly, yoga can aggravate healing injuries. The risks will vary depending on the type of injury and how far along you are in the healing process. Sometimes it's better to rest your sore muscle than stretch it. In other cases, you might be able to do modified yoga sessions without much trouble.
You should always talk to your yoga teacher if you have any physical conditions that make you concerned about injury. For example, if you have spinal issues like a herniated disc, you might mention it to the teacher. That way, they know to take care with any positions that involve stretching your spine. They can advise you on whether various exercises are safe to do.
About 1 in 10 people experience some kind of pain after a yoga session. Most of the time, this pain is preventable. It is commonly caused by people straining themselves.
About 1 in 30 people will experience an injury that's serious enough to prevent them from doing yoga for a while. The chances of this happening become greater if you have a healing injury or a physical medical condition.
If you do get injured doing yoga, make sure you follow your doctor's instructions for recovery. You should also talk to your yoga teacher when you return. That way, you can make sure that you don't repeat any of the movements that led to your prior injury.
Yoga Demographics
- About 72% of yoga practitioners in the United States are women.
- More than 10 million men practice yoga in the United States, up from 4 million a decade ago.
- About 81% of yoga practitioners in the US are over the age of 30, with the largest single group being aged 30 to 49.
- Only 19% of total practitioners are between the ages of 18 and 29.
- More than triple the number of adults over age 50 are doing yoga today compared to a decade ago.
Impact Of COVID-19 On The Yoga Industry
- Demand for at-home yoga equipment rose 154% during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Many people took up yoga during COVID-19 as a way to stay fit while staying indoors.
- In-person yoga classes were severely affected by the pandemic, with most teachers streaming classes online instead.
- Yoga studios suffered during COVID-19, and many closed down.
- Gyms equipped with yoga equipment also closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on every aspect of the economy. There's basically no industry that wasn't touched by the changing market conditions. The future of yoga is no exception. There was a massive shift in the yoga market, especially in the US.
The market saw a massive increase in demand for at-home yoga equipment like yoga mats, bands, and clothes. Many people were now doing their exercise routines from home instead of from the gym. Other people began doing yoga for the first time as a way to stay active while remaining indoors.
But not every part of the industry boomed. While at-home equipment jumped in sales, yoga classes suffered. Many yoga studios and gyms needed to close down for months during COVID-19 lockdowns. Some yoga studio owners were not able to keep up with the cost of running an entire studio, so they closed down.
At the same time, the demand for online classes increased. Many yoga instructors switched to livestreaming. In some cases, this allowed instructors to reach a broader audience than they would have otherwise. But in other cases, technical difficulties and struggles to retain clients had a negative impact overall.
The yoga industry is expected to continue growing both in the US and globally. The US makes up one of the fastest-growing market sectors because of the population that still hasn't tapped in. But the market is most successful in the parts of the Asia Pacific area where yoga is culturally saturated, such as India and Indonesia.
Yoga In The Workplace
- Yoga is practiced in about 11% of workplaces in the United States, largely due to its many mental and physical benefits.
- Yoga stretches have been shown to reduce fatigue in office workers.
- Yoga lowers cortisol levels, improves concentration, and helps workers to manage their stress.
- Yoga improves posture and can reduce back and neck pain caused by sitting in a chair for too long.
- Yoga has been shown to improve productivity, focus, energy, and problem solving skills in employees.
Yoga has been shown to have a positive effect on employees in the workplace. It can be especially helpful to office workers who sit in a chair all day. Studies show that about 11% of employers have integrated yoga into their daily office routines, allowing employees to use yoga resources for stretching.
Yoga has both physical and cognitive benefits in the workplace. Oftentimes, these benefits work together. For example, yoga can greatly decrease back and neck pain caused by sitting down for too long. The reduction in pain then leads to a clearer head and better focus.
Studies indicate that workers who do yoga are significantly more productive. They have an easier time concentrating on tasks and solving problems. It seems that yoga helps workers to think "outside the box," so they're more likely to take initiative and fix issues on their own.
On top of all of this, yoga has a significant impact on both physical and mental stress. It relaxes your muscles, reduces widespread inflammation, and lowers your blood pressure. It lowers your cortisol levels and helps you to control your breathing. Most people who practice yoga report that their stress levels decrease after a typical session.
Yoga Industry & Market Size
- The global yoga market was worth $41 billion in 2020.
- From 2022 through 2027, the global yoga market is projected to grow at about 9.6% per year.
- In 2026, the yoga market is projected to be worth $60.4 billion.
- While North America has contributed to market growth, the biggest market share is in the Asia Pacific area.
- Demand for online yoga classes increased significantly throughout the pandemic, accounting for a big sector of growth in the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the success rate of yoga?
- About 86% of people who practice yoga report that their mood improves after a session.
- About 43% of people note that they feel extremely happy and relaxed after a yoga session.
- About 54% of practitioners in the United States do yoga to relax and release their tension.
- Multiple studies have shown that yoga has a positive effect on overall stress levels for most practitioners.
- Most studies indicate that the average person experiences a positive effect on their mental health through yoga sessions.
There is no guarantee that you'll find success with yoga, just like there's no guarantee that any exercise will be successful. Sometimes people simply don't experience the mental benefits that come from yoga. And sometimes people can't access the benefits of yoga because they have medical conditions that keep them from being able to participate.
But even with all of that said, yoga does still have an overwhelmingly positive success rate. Nearly 9 in 10 practitioners say that their mood significantly improves after a session, with half of those saying that they feel extremely happy upon finishing their sessions.
Yoga has also been shown to improve flexibility and reduce widespread pain. There have been dozens of studies conducted that focus on different beneficial aspects of yoga. Those studies draw the same conclusions: that yoga can reduce stress, improve concentration, and reduce pain. The level of success that people will have will vary.
You're more likely to find success if you're working with an instructor who tailors your sessions to your needs. There are multiple different kinds of yoga. If you start out with an intensity that's too high, you might injure yourself. But if you start with an intensity that's too low, you might feel like you're not seeing any physical improvement.
It helps to have a goal in mind when you get started. The most common one that people cite is an improvement in flexibility. This becomes especially important for older populations.
What percent of the population does yoga?
- With 300 million practitioners around the globe, a little less than 5% of the global population practices yoga.
- About 70% of the adult yoga practitioners in the US report that yoga is an effective means of managing stress.
- About 33% of the US population has tried yoga at some point.
- Based on Google trends, yoga is most popular in Canada and Singapore.
- Though yoga originated in India, India is only the 6th most popular country for yoga practitioners.
How many people in the world do yoga daily?
- Over 300 million people all over the globe practice yoga on a regular basis.
- There are more than 52,000 registered instructors of yoga in the US alone.
- Yoga originated in India and is culturally practiced in many parts of the Asia Pacific area of the globe.
- Yoga has become more popular in the West in recent years, especially in Canada and the US.
- The global market for yoga is worth around $80 billion, with a good portion of that revenue originating in the United States.
Which country is yoga most popular?
- Based on Google Trends, Canada and Singapore are the top two countries for practicing yoga.
- India is where the art of yoga started, and it's considered the best place to learn traditional yoga and meditation methods.
- Yoga is culturally practiced in parts of Indonesia and Thailand, with many yogis choosing to visit these places to learn more.
- Australia and Ireland are also some of the top countries for yoga in the West, based on search engine volume.
- In Japan, yoga practices grew by 413% in half a decade.
It's hard to make a strong judgment about where yoga is the most popular in the world. In multiple Western countries, yoga is a growing practice. People are curious about it and have begun investigating different types of yoga available to them. You can see this reflected in search engines with trends in Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the US.
However, there are other countries where yoga is culturally saturated. Most people in these countries practice some form of yoga. Since they already know about yoga, they don't really need to do research through Google. So their interest won't show up through search engine trends.
India is credited as the place where yoga first started. There are several destinations in India that are home to the foremost experts on different types of traditional yoga. People who want to learn from true masters often visit these areas to get the full cultural experience.
Similarly, you'll find a great deal of cultural yoga practice in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Interestingly, Singapore's interest in yoga does show up on Google trends. It is the second most saturated country for yoga trends after Canada.
Conclusion
Yoga has been practiced for hundreds of years, and it has become increasingly popular in the West. Hopefully you've learned more about this practice and its benefits!