2025 Trends in China Sporting Goods Industry

In recent years, the China Sporting Goods Federation has leveraged cutting-edge industry resources to build a comprehensive research framework and a robust industry statistical system combining independent studies and external collaborations. In 2025, it has completed several authoritative reports including: China Sporting Goods Industry Report, Foreign Trade Development Report of China Sporting Goods, Sporting Goods Cross-Border E-Commerce Report, 2025 Trend Analysis of Fitness Training Industry. Synthesizing these findings, key developments shaping China's sporting goods sector include:
 
1. The sporting goods industry maintained a steady growth momentum.
· Industry scale: In 2023, China's sporting goods industry achieved a total manufacturing and sales output surpassing RMB 2 trillion for the first time (2.39% YoY growth), including RMB 1.4696 trillion in manufacturing output (5.1% YoY increase) and RMB 699.1 billion in added value (2.73% YoY growth).
 
· Corporate performance: 28 sporting goods listed companies on A-share a d Hong Kong markets achieved an aggregate revenue growth of 10.11%, with 71.43% of enterprises reporting positive growth. Among the CSGF 's 186 sampled enterprises, their revenues in 2024 fiscal year reached RMB 22.9 billion (10.59% YoY increase) alongside a 5.84% expansion in workforce.
 
· Industry climate index: According to a survey for member enterprises conducted in January, the 2024 business climate index for China's sporting goods industry stood at 143.8, with expectations exceeding current performance, while the entrepreneur confidence index reached 128.2—marking an improvement from 2023 with optimistic prospects.
 
2. The import and export of sporting goods have stabilized and begun to rebound.
· Total import-export volume: In 2024, the total import-export volume of sporting goods reached USD 29.883 billion, comprising USD 1.488 billion in imports and USD 28.396 billion in exports.
 
·  Import performance: Since 2020, the import volumes have remained relatively stable, with rapid growth registered in competition-grade bicycles and gaming playing cards.
 
· Export performance: The export volume has resumed growth, with other fitness & rehabilitation equipment exports ranking first (USD 5.047 billion), followed by outdoor gear, sportswear, and sports shoes. Exports of fitness equipment and treadmills have registered a growth rate exceeding 20%.
Ÿ Key export markets: The United States remained the top destination, with North America and Western Europe showing signs of growth, while Japan and South Korea in Asia showed weakened demand. Emerging markets like Vietnam and Thailand demonstrated great potential.
 
· Global expansion: 15.6% of enterprises have established or are planning overseas operations, as cross-border e-commerce merchants entered into a "brand dividend phase."
 
 
3. Sports consumption showed a robust growth.
· E-commerce sales volume: Transaction data from JD.com, Taobao, Tmall, and TikTok revealed that domestic online sporting goods sales reached RMB 333.745 billion in 2024, marking a 22.59% year-on-year increase, significantly outpacing the growth rate of China’s overall e-commerce retail sector.
 
· Brand categories: Anta and Nike dominated e-commerce sales as the top two brands, with domestic and international brands maintaining parity in the top ten rankings.
 
· Performance by categories: Outdoor gear and sports shoes ranked as the top two sales performers, while fitness equipment sales have bottomed out and stabilized. The competition focus for large equipment has shifted decisively toward functional innovation and aesthetic enhancements, with compact gear demonstrating remarkable growth, particularly pastel-toned "macaron" collections, as content-driven commerce emerged as an increasingly dominant sales accelerator.
 
4. The construction growth rate of public sports venues has slowed, while demand for quality upgrades continued to expand.
· Venues data: As of 2024, China boasts 4.8417 million sports venues covering 4.23 billion square meters, achieving a per capita area of 3 square meters that exceeds the target set in the 14th Five-Year Plan. However, the growth rate of sports venues area has slowed to 3.91%, marking a transition to refined and quality-driven development.
 
· Procurement projects: In 2024, the procurement scale for new construction, renovation, and expansion projects of sports venues reached RMB 4.315 billion, surpassing the 2023 levels, while spendings on sports equipment declined to RMB 3.52 billion (29.67%), reflecting a major shift toward games services across regions.
 
In conclusion, China's sporting goods manufacturing sector serves as an irreplaceable component within the sports industry as it holds massive scale, occupies the midstream position in the industrial chain, and plays a pivotal role in the global supply chain.