Yoga statistics

Yoga is a popular form of exercise that focuses on strength, breathing and flexibility to boost your physical and mental wellbeing. We looked at the statistics to see how many Brits are bending and flexing their way into yoga in the UK.

Quick overview

• The Pilates and yoga industry has had a revenue of over £926 million in 2020, up 6% from the year before (£875 million).
• There are over 10,000 yoga teachers in the UK and their average salary is £27.54 per hour.
• Up to 460,000 Brits are taking part in yoga classes each week.
• Yoga with Adriene is the biggest yoga YouTube channel in the world, with over 8 million subscribers.

What is yoga?

Yoga is a discipline that has been practised for thousands of years, thought to have its roots in ancient India. Essentially, it’s a range of postures and poses that are designed to make you more flexible and to improve your muscle strength. Unlike Pilates, it tends to involve meditation, stillness and deep breathing.

What are the benefits of yoga?

Some of the benefits of yoga include:

• Better flexibility
• Greater strength
• Improved blood flow, especially to vital organs
• Stronger joints
• Better wellbeing

What different types of yoga are there?

There are lots of different types of yoga and some are more physical than others. The type that works best for you will depend on how intense you want to get and whether you prefer the more spiritual aspects of yoga or the more physical aspects. Some of the main types include:

• Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga combines posture and breathing techniques. Your breathing is a key part of this type of yoga, which helps you to relax and reduce your stress levels.
• Vinyasa yoga. Also known as power yoga, Vinyasa yoga is performed at a faster speed than many other types of yoga. It involves both seated and standing postures and inversions such as shoulder stands. If weight loss is your goal when doing yoga, then this is a good choice, as you’ll burn more calories.
• Kundalini yoga. Kundalini yoga aims to invigorate your body and relax your mind. It’s based on the idea that energy is stored at the bottom of your spine and can be released through this type of yoga.
• Ashtanga yoga. If improving your strength, endurance, flexibility and balance is your aim, you’ll love this type of yoga. This is another type of yoga that can be difficult for beginners, but with regular practice, it does get easier!
• Yin yoga. This type of yoga is all about calming your mind and body.
• Bikram yoga. Want to detox? This is the perfect yoga option for you, but be warned – things will get sweaty!
• Restorative yoga. Passive stretching is the main focus of restorative yoga. Compared to some other types of yoga, you barely move at all and only go through a small number of poses but it helps your muscles to get some intense relaxation.
• Chair yoga. Want to get the benefits of yoga but not overstretch yourself? Chair yoga is ideal for people who are less mobile as it’s less strenuous on the muscles.

How popular is yoga?

We looked at Google search data to see how Brits’ interest in yoga has changed over time. Across the last five years, it’s clear that there is a peak in interest in January each year, perhaps suggesting that yoga is a popular New Year’s resolution. Then interest seems to trail off throughout the rest of the year. On average, there is a 73% increase in the level of interest between December and January each year, with 2018 seeing a massive 92% increase in search interest in January compared to December. In general, the trend shows that yoga has been increasing in popularity every year in the UK.

The interest in yoga in the UK seems to have hit its absolute peak during the 2020 coronavirus quarantine, when search interest went through the roof. In March 2020, we saw the highest interest in yoga in the past five years, a peak that lasted longer than any of the earlier ones. In July 2020, around the time most people’s summer vacations started, search interest dropped back to normal levels.

• Google trends
• Table

The yoga industry

With yoga increasing in popularity, it’s no surprise that the yoga industry is booming in the UK. We collected the latest findings to see just how big the yoga industry is.

• There are over 10,000 yoga teachers in the UK and their average salary is £27.54 per hour.
• Between 20,000 and 30,000 yoga classes are taught in the UK each week.
• This means that yoga teachers are taking 2 to 3 classes each per week.
• The average yoga class size is 15 people. This means that 300,000 to 460,000 people are taking part in yoga classes each week.
• The Pilates and yoga industries have had a revenue of over £926 million in 2020, up 6% from the year before (£875 million).
• Over 16,400 people are currently employed in this industry in over 4,900 businesses.

Yoga online

There is no need to spend money on yoga if you have a decent-sized room to move around in. There are loads of free training videos available online. The most popular yoga channel on YouTube is run by Adriene Mishler from the US; she has over 8 million subscribers. She was recognised by Google as the most searched workout of 2015, she’s been mentioned in The Wall Street Journal, and she was awarded a Streamy in Health and Wellness in 2016.

The next biggest yoga channel is Boho Beautiful with 1.64 million followers, which is run by Juliana and Mark Spicoluk. The third biggest account is Sarah Beth’s channel, SarahBethYoga, which has no less than 1.01 million subscribers. As 300,000 to 460,000 people are taking part in yoga classes each week, it’s obvious that yoga is even bigger online and clearly it’s here to nama-stay.

A quick search on the Google Play Store reveals that there are over 250 different yoga apps available for download, ranging from free apps to more pricey options (up to £68.99 upfront) to subscription-based apps. One of the most popular Android yoga apps has been installed more than 5 million times.

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806

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