Who Is The Biggest Health & Fitness Spender In The UK? Our Survey Reveals All…

As Italy tops the chart of the biggest health spenders in Europe, money-conscious Brits come in 9th in our survey of top spenders.

‘You can’t put a price tag on good health’ — or can you? In our most extensive survey yet, Myprotein has asked over 16,000 respondents from 15 countries across Europe how much they spend each month on everything from protein shakes to personal trainers, gym memberships to meal plans and more!

Here are some key findings from our research:

• The average British adult spends £144 each month maintaining health and fitness- that’s an average of £107,500 over a lifetime!
• Money-conscious Brits still come 9^th in Europe for health spending — miles behind chart-topping Italians who pay an extra £48 each month.
• Gym memberships and supplements are the biggest money sinks in health and fitness, costing Europeans an average of £33 and £67 each month

How Much Do Brits Spend on Health and Fitness?

Money-conscious Brits only come 9^th in the ranking for the top fitness spenders in Europe, but the average adult in the UK still spends £144 each month – which is an average of £107,500 over a lifetime.

The above chart shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on. Note that ‘supplements’ shows the combined reported spend on protein shakes, high-protein foods and snacks, organic supplements, vegan supplements, vitamins and minerals, and weight-loss supplements.

Over the course of a year, we’ll spend an average of £716 on supplements alone, that’s £1.96 every day – accounting for 41% of our total spend. The majority of our spending on supplements will go on protein shakes (£283 yearly) and high-protein snacks alone (£180).

The above graph shows the yearly average spend on health and fitness overall, as well as the major surveyed categories in the UK.

Millennials in the UK aged 25-30 are the highest-spending age group in the country, investing an average of £1813 into their health and fitness every year. This is still only a 15% increase over the lowest-spending 60+ age group.

Unsurprisingly the image-conscious and social media savvy Gen Z generation spends on average £381 a month on gym clothing, over 36% more than those 60 and over.

The table above shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on in the UK by region.

As expected, London secures first place in overall spend at £1,904 per year. What may come as a shock is that the North West follows London by spending just over £100 less annually.

London, the North West, and Scotland all spend more on their health than the UK average of £1728, so if you're on a tight budget, it's best to avoid these regions!

The table above shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on in the UK by reported city of residence.

It’s no surprise that the capital comes top of the table in the UK with an average yearly health spend of £1,904 per head. If you live in London, you’re likely to be paying over 10% more than the UK average of £1728 on your fitness each year.

A bigger surprise may be that residents in Glasgow come in 2^nd behind London, with an overall spend of £1848. Followed closely by Aberdeen, the two Scottish cities sit around 7% above the national average for spending.

The table above shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on in the UK by reported sex.

If you’re a health-conscious woman in the UK, you’re likely to be spending over 13% more than men in order to maintain your fitness. The average yearly spend overall for women in the UK comes in at £1910, compared to men who come in £255 cheaper. Women bulk out their budgets with greater spends on gym clothing (£405 yearly, 25% more than men) and personal trainers (£263, spending 53% more than men).

Men, on the other hand, will dedicate a greater proportion of their budget towards supplements (3% more than women). They spend on average £305 on protein shakes each year, which is 53% more than women will. Women make up the difference here with higher spends on vegan (57% more), weight-loss (30% more) and organic supplements (26% more).

Who Spends The Most On Health And Fitness In Europe?

For the full breakdown of our European findings — check out our infographic and detailed write-up below.

Which Countries Spend the Most and Least in Europe?

Italians top our chart as the biggest fitness spenders in Europe, shelling out £2313 each year on average. This works out as a daily cost of around £6 to stay fit and healthy, but it all adds up when you’re spending a whopping £640 on gym memberships and £970 on health supplements every year.

The table below shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on. Note that ‘supplements’ shows the combined reported spend on protein shakes, high-protein foods and snacks, organic supplements, vegan supplements, vitamins and minerals, and weight-loss supplements.

The astronomical cost of gym or health club membership in Italy has gym-goers spending close to 65% more than the UK average and as much as 80% more than the budget average in Portugal. Whilst the 27.2 billion Euro fitness club market in Europe is in growth with membership numbers up 3.5% this year ¹, the presence of low-cost budget gyms may be being felt more in countries like the UK and Portugal, where costs stay close to the European average of £396 per year.

The above chart shows the average yearly spend on the health & fitness categories we surveyed our participants on. Note that ‘supplements’ shows the combined reported spend on protein shakes, high-protein foods and snacks, organic supplements, vegan supplements, vitamins and minerals, and weight-loss supplements.

Italy isn’t the top spender across the board, however — they’re beaten by France, who spend on average £996 on supplements every year. That’s £26 more than Italy (at £970 yearly) and £197 above the European average.

But what are we actually spending our supplement budget on?

The above chart shows the average yearly spend on the categories that comprise the total supplement spend for each country we surveyed.

In a global market expected to reach £35 billion by 2021², it’s no surprise that nutritional supplements make up a considerable proportion of the average European’s health and fitness spend – accounting for 45% of their total health and fitness budget (£798 each year and an average of £2.20 every day). This spend is spread across a range of categories, with protein shakes (averaging £276 yearly), high protein snacks (£152) and vitamin/mineral supplements (£170) being universally popular categories.

This isn’t a surprise to Myprotein nutritionist, Jennifer Blow, who adds: