Category Outlook: China’s Sportswear Market—A Large and Dynamic Industry Driven by Fashion-Conscious Millennial Customers with Active Lifestyles

Executive Summary

China’s sportswear market is one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world. More and more people pursuing active lifestyles, increasing sports participation and the popularity of sportswear in fashion are the main trends shaping the industry.

• China’s sportswear market is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 11% in the five years through 2022.
• A large millennial population, government initiatives to promote fitness and sports participation and the organization of large sports events are among the drivers that are sustaining the growth of sportwear in China.

International sportwear companies Nike and Adidas led the market in 2017. Domestic firm Anta Sports was the third-largest company in terms of revenue share in 2017 and is working hard to catch up with its international competitors.