China’s Sporting Goods Foreign Trade Shows Recovery in H1 2026

Source：CHINA SPORTING GOODS FEDERATIONRelease time：2026-09-30Clicks：

According to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China, the total import and export value of sporting goods in the first half of 2026 reached USD 16.028 billion, marking a 2.9% year-on-year increase. Specifically, exports hit USD 15.335 billion, up 2.9% year on year, while imports stood at USD 692 million, representing a 1.9% year-on-year growth.

Following the decline recorded in 2025, China’s foreign trade in sporting goods showed clear signs of recovery in H1 2026. By quarter, the total import and export value of sporting goods amounted to USD 7.884 billion in Q1 and USD 8.144 billion in Q2, with respective year-on-year growth rates of 1.0% and 4.8%. Exports rose by 1.2% in Q1 and 4.6% in Q2, pointing to a notable improvement in performance in the second quarter.

Sporting Goods Export Growth Lags Behind Overall Merchandise Export Growth

In H1 2026, sporting goods exports registered a 2.9% year-on-year rise, significantly lower than the 17.6% year-on-year growth of China’s total merchandise exports denominated in US dollars.

Sporting goods exports outpaced the growth rate of overall merchandise exports only in February, when sporting goods exports jumped 53.4% year on year, compared with the 39.6% growth of total merchandise exports. This exceptionally high growth rate was mainly driven by a low base effect, as intensified China-US trade tensions in February 2025 had significantly suppressed export performance in that month.

Fitness Equipment and Treadmills Remain Core Growth Drivers

By product category, fitness equipment and treadmills continued to serve as the major pillars supporting export growth, with their export values reaching USD 3.125 billion and USD 725 million respectively, posting year-on-year increases of 12.4% and 3.9%.

Sportswear exports reached USD 1.256 billion, up 3.5% year on year, while outdoor product exports hit USD 1.399 billion, marking a 0.9% year-on-year rise. Exports of football, basketball and volleyball products, artificial turf, as well as roller skates and skateboards reached USD 356 million, USD 229 million and USD 174 million respectively, with corresponding year-on-year growth rates of 5.3%, 4.1% and 10.8%. In sharp contrast, sports footwear exports dropped 24.1% year on year to USD 726 million.

Table 1 Export Value and Growth Rate of Major Sports Goods Categories (USD billion)

Categories	2026H1	2025H1	YoY
Sportswear	1.256	1.213	3.5%
Sports footwear	0.726	0.956	-24.1%
Treadmills	0.725	0.698	3.9%
Fitness equipment	3.125	2.780	12.4%
Outdoor products	1.399	1.387	0.9%
Football/Basketball/Volleyball	0.356	0.338	5.3%
Artificial Turf	0.229	0.220	4.1%
Roller skates & skateboard	0.174	0.157	10.8%

Export prices of several categories also saw a year-on-year decline. The average export unit prices of artificial turf, sports footwear, roller skates and skateboards, as well as treadmills all decreased from a year earlier. The average export price of treadmills fell by 12.1% year on year, while that of roller skates and skateboards decreased by 4.6% and 4.2% respectively. The average export unit prices across five major subcategories of sports footwear recorded a year-on-year decline ranging from 10% to 30%.

Export Markets Continue to Diversify

Among China’s top 10 sporting goods export markets in 2025, exports to the United States, Japan and South Korea posted a year-on-year decline in H1 2026, while exports to the other seven markets all registered positive growth.

Exports to the United States reached USD 4.439 billion, down 0.58% year on year, while exports to Japan and South Korea hit USD 582 million and USD 356 million respectively, representing a 5.52% and 7.29% year-on-year drop.

Exports to Russia, France and Germany increased by 25.7%, 14.2% and 11.4% year on year respectively. Exports to Canada and Australia also saw a year-on-year growth of 4.6% and 7.1%.

The United States remained China’s largest export market for sporting goods, accounting for 29.0% of China’s total sporting goods exports in H1 2026, compared with the 30.0% share recorded in the same period of the previous year.