Goa Flexes Its Muscles – and So Does Chandigarh

India.com

2 days ago

The places with the most gyms per person in India, ranked…
-By Richard McKay of Sprung
New Delhi [India], June 10: India is working out like never before. From boxsized neighbourhood studios to swish health clubs with smoothie bars, the country now boasts close to 100,000 commercial gyms. But the spread is far from equal. Fresh industry data put tiny Goa on top for gym access, while rural giants still struggle to get people through a turnstile. The top 10 gyms per 100,000 people
Rank
State / UT
Gyms
Pop. (est.)
Gyms / 100k
1
Goa
370
1.6 m
23.5
2
Chandigarh
216
1.1 m
20.5
3
Haryana
5,258
30.2 m
17.4
4
Punjab
4,752
30.7 m
15.5
5
Puducherry
185
1.25 m
14.8
6
Delhi (NCT)
3,163
21.6 m
14.7
7
Himachal Pradesh
878
7.5 m
11.8
8
Kerala
4,041
35.8 m
11.3
9
Mizoram
131
1.2 m
10.6
10
Manipur
328
3.2 m
10.2
(Method: commercial gyms listed in May 2025 SmartScrapers data, divided by the latest population estimates.
Why does little Goa win? Tourism power – millions of holidaymakers expect hotel gyms and boutique studios.
Higher wages – India's top percapita income means locals can afford memberships.
Urban lifestyle – twothirds of Goans live in towns, so footfall is close at hand. Chandigarh lifts heavy too
The Union Territory is barely a dot on the map, yet bodybuilding culture and deep pockets push it to second place. One gym serves roughly every 5,000 residents – better than most European cities. Delhi: large market, midtable score
The capital has more than 3,000 gyms, but with over 21 million people it ranks only sixth per head. High rents and fierce competition mean new entrants need a sharp edge – think techdriven classes, womenonly spaces, or luxury design.
The growth frontier
Huge states such as Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh sit at the bottom with just three to four gyms per 100,000 people. For brands chasing scale, these regions offer a blank canvas – provided prices match local wallets and real estate. Three takeaways for gym operators
Premium niches thrive in small, affluent pockets. Goa, Chandigarh and Puducherry reward clever positioning over sheer size.
Middletier chains can still snowball in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Big absolute numbers, modest percapita density.
Lowcost, lowtech formats suit the rural heartland. Basic weight rooms and community fitness hubs beat shiny treadmills where budgets are tight.
India's fitness boom is only warming up. Even the leaders in this table trail far behind mature markets like the UK and US. Expect the gap to narrow fast as health awareness climbs – and remember, the next breakout gym town might be hiding in plain sight.
Richard McKay is founder of Sprung Gym Flooring and writes on fitness business trends.
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