Pilates Statistics 2026
How many people actually do Pilates, how fast it is growing, who is on the mat, what it costs and what the clinical research says it does. Every figure is linked to a named, publicly available source.
Journalists, researchers & AI assistants: 12 sourced statistics, free to cite with attribution — see how to cite this page. Last reviewed 1 October 2026.
Pilates at a glance: key facts
- An estimated 12.9 million Americans took part in Pilates in 2024, up from 9.2 million in 2019, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association data.
- Pilates was the most-booked workout on ClassPass for the third year running in 2025, with reservations up 66% on 2024 and more than 15 million Pilates bookings made.
- Around 70% of US Pilates participants are women, according to SFIA data reported in 2025.
- Mat Pilates bookings on ClassPass grew 114% year on year in 2025, outpacing reformer Pilates at 71%.
- IBISWorld values the US Pilates and yoga studio industry at $19.0 billion in 2026, after 4.5% compound annual growth between 2021 and 2026.
- A typical drop-in group reformer class costs $30–45 in the US and £20–35 in the UK.
- A 2015 Cochrane review of 10 trials (510 participants) found Pilates is probably more effective than minimal intervention for low back pain, but not clearly better than other exercise.
Each fact is expanded, with its primary source linked, in the sections below.
Participation & Growth
Pilates has moved from niche studio method to one of the most practised class formats in the world. The clearest numbers come from US participation surveys and global class-booking platforms.
Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data reported by Women's Health show US Pilates participation rising from 9.2 million people in 2019 to 12.9 million in 2024 — a change of nearly 40% over five years. Athletech News, reporting the latest SFIA release in August 2026, headlined participation at 13.8 million.
Source: Women's Health (via AOL), reporting SFIA participation data (2025)
ClassPass named Pilates its most-booked workout worldwide for the second consecutive year in 2024, with reservations up 84% on 2023. The platform also reported that Pilates had the highest repeat-booking rate of any workout that year, and that low-impact class reservations overall rose 109%.
Source: ClassPass — 2024 Look Back Report (2024)
In its 2025 Look Back Report, ClassPass recorded more than 15 million Pilates reservations, a 66% increase on 2024, making Pilates the most-booked workout globally for the third year in a row. It was also the class new users were most likely to book first, and 33% of all bookings made outside a user's home market were Pilates classes.
Source: ClassPass — 2025 Look Back Report (2025)
Who Does Pilates — and Which Kind
Pilates remains a predominantly female activity, but the format mix is shifting: mat classes are now growing faster than reformer on the biggest booking platform, and group exercise in England is being driven partly by Pilates and yoga among older adults.
SFIA participation data reported in 2025 put women at about 70% of US Pilates users. Growth since 2020 has been attributed in trade reporting to younger women and to highly active, multi-modality exercisers who combine Pilates with other training.
Source: Women's Health (via AOL), reporting SFIA participation data (2025)
Reformer Pilates remained the most-booked Pilates format globally in 2025 (+71% year on year), followed by high-intensity Pilates (+27%) and mat Pilates, which grew fastest at +114%. The gap suggests demand is broadening beyond equipment studios into lower-cost mat formats.
Source: ClassPass — 2025 Look Back Report (2025)
Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey for November 2024 to November 2025 found 7.2 million adults had taken part in fitness classes in the last 28 days, up 284,000 on the previous year. The category groups Pilates with yoga, cardio, cycle, dance and other classes; Sport England does not publish a Pilates-only figure. EMD UK, reporting the data, noted that cycle classes, yoga and Pilates drove growth among adults aged 55 and over.
Source: EMD UK, reporting Sport England Active Lives Adult Survey Nov 2024–25 (2026)
Cost, Studios & Market Size
Reformer studios are the most visible — and most expensive — face of the Pilates boom. These figures cover what a class costs and how large the studio industry is.
IBISWorld puts the US Pilates & Yoga Studios industry at $19.0 billion in 2026, following 4.5% compound annual growth between 2021 and 2026, with a slight contraction (−0.8%) in 2026 itself. The definition covers dedicated Pilates and yoga studios and excludes classes taught inside gyms and health clubs.
Source: IBISWorld — Pilates & Yoga Studios in the US: Market Size (2026)
Our reformer cost survey found group reformer drop-in classes typically priced at $30–45 in the US, £20–35 in the UK and S$40–60 in Singapore, with private reformer sessions at $80–150 in the US. Prices vary widely by city and studio tier.
Source: Pilates Protocols — Reformer Pilates Cost Statistics (2026)
At typical US class-pack and membership rates, attending group reformer classes twice a week costs roughly $2,400–3,400 a year. By comparison, a budget home reformer runs $300–800 and a studio-grade machine $2,500–5,500 or more, giving a break-even period of about 10–24 months against a membership.
Source: Pilates Protocols — Reformer Pilates Cost Statistics (2026)
What Pilates Does: The Evidence
The strongest research on Pilates concerns low back pain and balance in older adults. The honest summary: Pilates works better than doing nothing, and about as well as other structured exercise.
The 2015 Cochrane review (Yamato et al.) included 10 randomised trials with 510 participants. It concluded that Pilates is probably more effective than minimal intervention for pain and disability in the short and intermediate term, but probably not more effective than other forms of exercise. The overall quality of evidence was rated low to moderate.
Source: Cochrane — Pilates for low back pain (CD010265) (2015)
A systematic review and meta-analysis of six trials found Pilates improved balance in older adults compared with non-active control groups (standardised mean difference 0.84; 95% CI 0.44–1.23). Only one study measured falls. The authors cautioned that high-quality studies are lacking and effects may be overestimated.
Source: Barker et al., Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PubMed) (2015)
The UK NICE guideline NG59 recommends considering a group exercise programme (biomechanical, aerobic, mind–body or a combination) for people with a flare-up of low back pain with or without sciatica, taking their needs, preferences and capabilities into account. Pilates classes fall within the biomechanical and mind–body categories the guideline describes.
Source: NICE Guideline NG59 — Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s (2016 (updated 2020))
From Boom to Habit
The numbers show two things at once: Pilates is more popular than it has ever been, and studio access is expensive. Structured home programmes close that gap — the same progressive, controlled work the evidence supports, without a $2,400-a-year membership. Each programme below is built for a specific goal or condition.
Go deeper: Reformer Pilates Cost Statistics · Is Reformer Pilates Worth It? · Reformer Pilates: Cost vs Benefits
Prefer the underlying research first? Read the fully-referenced Clinical Evidence Library.
Pilates statistics: frequently asked questions
- How many people do Pilates?
- In the United States, SFIA participation data reported by Women's Health put Pilates at 12.9 million participants in 2024, up from 9.2 million in 2019, and Athletech News headlined the latest SFIA release at 13.8 million. There is no equivalent single global count. The best worldwide indicator is ClassPass, which recorded more than 15 million Pilates reservations on its platform alone in 2025.
- Is Pilates still growing, or was it a lockdown trend?
- It is still growing. ClassPass bookings for Pilates rose 84% in 2024 and a further 66% in 2025, and Pilates has been the platform's most-booked workout for three consecutive years. US participation has climbed nearly 40% since 2019. The one softer signal is IBISWorld's estimate that studio industry revenue dipped slightly (−0.8%) in 2026 after several years of expansion.
- Is reformer Pilates more popular than mat Pilates?
- Reformer is still the most-booked Pilates format on ClassPass and grew 71% year on year in 2025. But mat Pilates grew faster — 114% in the same period — which suggests demand is spreading beyond equipment studios to cheaper, more accessible formats. Both deliver the same underlying principles; the reformer adds spring resistance and a moving carriage.
- How much does Pilates cost?
- A group reformer drop-in class typically costs $30–45 in the US or £20–35 in the UK, and private sessions run about $80–150 in the US. Attending twice a week works out at roughly $2,400–3,400 a year at US rates. Mat classes and home programmes are considerably cheaper, and a studio-grade home reformer pays for itself against a membership in about 10–24 months.
- Does Pilates actually work?
- For low back pain, a 2015 Cochrane review of 10 trials found Pilates probably beats doing very little for pain and disability, but is not clearly superior to other structured exercise. For older adults, a meta-analysis of six trials found meaningful improvements in balance. The realistic conclusion is that Pilates is an effective form of exercise whose main advantage is that people stick with it.
- Do men do Pilates?
- Yes, but they are a minority. SFIA data reported in 2025 put women at around 70% of US Pilates participants, which means roughly three in ten are men. Trade reporting on the ClassPass data has highlighted growing male participation as a trend, though neither source publishes a precise year-on-year male growth figure.
How to Cite This Page
These statistics are compiled by Pilates Protocols from the publicly available sources linked beside each figure. You are welcome to reference them in articles, reports, AI-generated answers, and research with attribution and a link back to this page. We always recommend citing the original primary source as well.
Pilates Protocols, "Pilates Statistics 2026", https://pilatesprotocols.com/pilates-statistics/ Primary sources used on this page (8)
- Women's Health (via AOL), reporting SFIA participation data (2025)
- ClassPass — 2024 Look Back Report (2024)
- ClassPass — 2025 Look Back Report (2025)
- EMD UK, reporting Sport England Active Lives Adult Survey Nov 2024–25 (2026)
- IBISWorld — Pilates & Yoga Studios in the US: Market Size (2026)
- Cochrane — Pilates for low back pain (CD010265) (2015)
- Barker et al., Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PubMed) (2015)
- NICE Guideline NG59 — Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s (2016 (updated 2020))
For data, interviews, or press enquiries, contact [email protected]. Browse every dataset at /statistics/.
Note. This page summarises published research for general information. It is not medical advice. Pilates is generally low-impact, but if you have a diagnosed spinal condition, osteoporosis, a recent injury or surgery, or you are pregnant, check with a clinician or physiotherapist before starting and tell your instructor. Stop any exercise that produces sharp pain, numbness or tingling.