Over 500 million people participating in outdoor sports in China

Beijing (People's Daily) - More than 500 million people are participating in outdoor sports in China, while the total value of the outdoor sports-related industry has reached about 3.17 trillion yuan (about 450 billion US dollars), according to the China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2025-26), released at the opening of the 2026 China Outdoor Sports Industry Conference in Beijing on Friday.

(Photo provided to People's Daily)

The report said young and middle-aged consumers make up the majority of outdoor sports participants, with gender participation broadly balanced. Data shows that people aged 19 to 49 accounted for 76.16 percent of all consumers, while women and men made up 50.82 percent and 49.18 percent, respectively.

In terms of consumption by city tier, the potential of lower-tier markets has been further unleashed. In 2025, outdoor sports consumption in third- and fourth-tier cities accounted for a combined 42 percent of the national total, reflecting a significant increase over the previous year.

As for outdoor sports facilities, by the end of 2025, the country had 2,626 ice and snow sports venues, including 1,723 ice skating venues and 903 ski resorts. There were also 182,000 fitness trails nationwide, with a total length of 430,300 kilometers. As of September 2025, China boasted 970 commercial climbing gyms, more than 700 natural rock climbing venues and over 14,000 natural rock climbing routes.