Mobile Health & Fitness App Spending Jumped 70% Last Year in Europe to a Record $544 Million

European spending in Health & Fitness category mobile apps jumped by 70.2 percent year-over-year in 2020 to an estimated $544.2 million as consumers looked to keep fit and stay mindful during the COVID-19 pandemic and regional lockdowns, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data shows.

The record yearly increase is significantly larger than in 2019, when user spending rose a still-substantial 37.2 percent Y/Y to an estimated $319.8 million. Spending in these apps hit its peak in Q3 2020, when gross sales reached $148 million—a record quarter, up 83.3 percent Y/Y. The top titles driving spending included fitness app Strava along with mindfulness apps Calm and Headspace.

Looking at per-platform sales, the App Store accounted for the majority of Health & Fitness category user spending in Europe, generating $392.8 million, or 72.2 percent of total revenue. Google Play, meanwhile, generated $151.4 million, or 27.8 percent of total revenue for the category. In terms of markets, the United Kingdom ranked No. 1 for Health & Fitness category spending, generating $160.6 million, or 29.5 percent of the total. Germany ranked No. 2 with $89.3 million, or 16.4 percent, while France ranked No. 3 with $56.4 million, or 10.4 percent.

Overall, sales in Health & Fitness apps in Europe accounted for 30.3 percent of global spending in the category, up from a 27 percent share in 2019. Revenue for the category also rose faster in Europe than on a global level, where sales increased by 50 percent Y/Y.

Running Up Downloads

Downloads of Health & Fitness category apps saw a significant surge in Europe during 2020, rising by approximately 46 percent Y/Y in 2020 to 829.5 million. For comparison, installs rose by just 7.4 percent Y/Y in 2019 to 568.6 million. Downloads peaked in Q2 2020 at the height of the first COVID-19 related lockdowns in the region, reaching close to 257 million, up 80 percent Y/Y, with the peak in revenue following in Q3. It should be noted, however, that among the drivers of growth in the region were the government-backed COVID-19 contact tracing apps categorized under Health & Fitness, including Turkey’s Hayat Eve Sığar and Germany’s Corona-Warn-App.

Google Play accounted for the lion’s share of category installs, totaling more than 516 million, or 62.2 percent of all downloads. The App Store, meanwhile, picked up 313.3 million or 37.8 percent. Russia generated the most downloads in the region, racking up 110.4 million or 13.3 percent of the total. Germany ranked No. 2 with 101.2 million, or 12.2 percent, while Turkey rounded out the top three with 99.7 million, or 12 percent.

European Health & Fitness app installs accounted for 30.7 percent of total category downloads. Download growth for the category in Europe was slower than on a global level, where they grew 49.7 percent Y/Y.

Keeping Healthy

Europe quickly became an epicenter for the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, as countries across the region were forced to enter lockdowns as the virus spread. As a result, consumers turned to their mobile phones more than ever for entertainment and necessities—including their health, fitness, and mindfulness—as well as keeping safe. The surge in new downloads shows that consumers were keen on staying healthy in both body and mind during lockdown, while the faster rise in spending proves just how serious Europeans are about it.