health clubs worldwide saw revenues slip to US$81bn (€72bn, £55bn) in 2015, despite an increase in members, according to a new IHRSA report.

The 2016 IHRSA global report: The State of the Health Club Industry examines the performance of health clubs in nearly 70 markets worldwide, covering 187,000 clubs and 151.5 million members.

The recorded global revenues were a decline on the US$84bn (€74m, £55m) outlined in last year’s report, which only accounted for 180,000 clubs. The fall in revenues, despite a larger number of clubs in the sample, suggests the continued growth of low cost operators, who typically have a lower revenue to member ratio compared to traditional health clubs.

The report showed that the top 10 markets account for roughly two out of three health clubs and three out of four members worldwide. Health club performance is also improving in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. In the Asia-Pacific, 13 markets in the region attract 17 million members at more than 31,000 health clubs. Meanwhile in the Middle East and North Africa, 10 countries in the region have a combined total of roughly 5,600 health clubs and approximately 3.4 million members.

“This year’s report shows collective growth in markets worldwide, with mature markets leading the way,” said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA's executive vice president of global products.

“A new enhancement to the report this year for the US market is a graphic illustration of health club utilisation trends over the past seven years. For example, total health club visits annually in the United States increased by 25% since 2009.”

To access the full report, click here.