Yoga Alliance study maps global yoga participation and barriers across 10 countries

Yoga Alliance is framing global yoga growth as a health story and an access problem: its "Yoga in the World Study (2022)" finds mental health and stress management are primary drivers of participation even as "many underserved communities are largely left out." The organization's press excerpt states plainly, "38M Americans practiced yoga in 2022, spending more than $21B. But the survey revealed distinct demographic inequities."

The study was described in Yoga Alliance communications as "a first-of-its-kind global market research study examining yoga participation, trends, and accessibility across 10 countries." The 10 named countries are Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Nigeria, United Kingdom (U.K.), United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and the United States (U.S.), and the research collected quantitative and qualitative data from yoga practitioners and the general public across those markets.

Yoga Alliance also expanded its respondent pool beyond consumers: the organization "also surveyed yoga teachers and business owners in Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, and United States," the press materials note. The group positions the work as the opening entry in an ongoing series, stating, "The 'Yoga in the World' study is the first of an on-going series of research efforts by Yoga Alliance to benchmark and track not only yoga trends around the globe, but public perception and barriers that prevent individuals from practicing yoga."

The report builds on Yoga Alliance's earlier U.S.-focused benchmark. The earlier "Yoga in America Study (2016)," conducted in partnership with Yoga Journal, "provided a comprehensive look at yoga’s expansion in the U.S., revealing that participation had grown to 36 million practitioners, with spending on yoga-related products and services reaching $16 billion annually." The 2016 and 2022 figures appear side-by-side in Yoga Alliance materials and show the organization documenting U.S. participation and spending across two study points.

Headline language in Yoga Alliance materials frames the findings around both benefits and gaps: "First of Its Kind Global Study of Yoga Reveals Stress Management and Mental Health Are Driving Growing Interest and Participation, Yet Many Underserved Communities Are Largely Left Out." Yoga Alliance couples that headline with organizational aims: "Our market research helps shape initiatives that expand yoga’s reach and better serve diverse communities."

The materials also make clear what the public release does not include: supplied texts lack exact sample sizes, fieldwork dates, survey vendor names, margins of error, and detailed country-by-country breakdowns. Those methodological details are not present in the excerpts and would be necessary to fully assess the scope and statistical strength of claims such as the $21B spending figure tied to 2022 participation.

Yoga Alliance frames the study as groundwork: the featured page says the research "lays the groundwork for future research into yoga’s evolving role worldwide" and that insights will guide efforts to increase accessibility and advocate for yoga in education, healthcare, and beyond. The organization's combination of global reach and stated next steps signals a continuing research agenda aimed at translating participation data into programs for underserved communities.