Yoga participation reaches across age groups, genders, racial and ethnic groups, and income levels. The latest national estimates show that 16.9% of U.S. adults practiced yoga during the 12 months before the 2022 survey, while older Yoga Alliance studies provide a historical view of the practice’s scale and studio culture.
Active yoga statistics at a glance
- 16.9% of U.S. adults practiced yoga in the past 12 months in 2022.
- 23.3% of women and 10.3% of men practiced yoga during that period.
- 80.0% of yoga practitioners said they used yoga to restore overall health.
- 57.4% of practitioners practiced meditation as part of yoga.
- 28.8% practiced yoga to treat or manage pain.
- A 2016 Yoga Alliance study estimated 36.7 million U.S. yoga practitioners, up from 20.4 million in 2012.
The CDC figures describe 2022 U.S. adults age 18 and older. The Yoga Alliance figures are historical 2016 study snapshots and are not current estimates.
Table of contents
- How many U.S. adults practice yoga?
- Yoga participation by gender and age
- Participation by race and ethnicity
- Why active yoga practitioners practice
- Meditation and pain-management patterns
- Historical yoga market and practitioner data
- Yoga studios, teachers, and active lifestyles
How many U.S. adults practice yoga?
According to CDC NCHS Data Brief 501, published in 2024, 16.9% of U.S. adults age 18 and older practiced yoga in the past 12 months in 2022. This is a participation estimate for the 12-month period before the survey, not a measure of how often participants attended classes or practiced at home.
That distinction matters when reading active yoga statistics. The figure identifies adults who practiced at least during the reference period, but it does not classify them by weekly frequency, session length, or style of yoga.
Key takeaways
- The 2022 estimate covers U.S. adults age 18 and older.
- The measurement period is the previous 12 months, as reported in the CDC’s 2024 brief.
- The statistic describes participation, not a forecast of future growth.
- No current 2026 participation estimate is included here.
The historical Yoga Alliance figures offer a different scale measure. Its 2016 Yoga in America Study reported 36.7 million yoga practitioners in the United States, compared with 20.4 million in 2012. Because this source is a 2016 study, the comparison should be treated as a historical snapshot of change between those study periods rather than a current count.
Yoga participation by gender and age
The 2022 CDC estimates show a clear gender difference in reported yoga participation. 23.3% of women practiced yoga in the past 12 months, compared with 10.3% of men. These are population participation rates, so they should not be confused with the gender composition of yoga classes or the percentage of practitioners who are women.
Age also separates participation rates.
| U.S. adult group | Practiced yoga in past 12 months |
|---|---|
| Ages 18–44 | 21.3% |
| Ages 45–64 | 14.1% |
| Age 65 and older | 8.0% |
Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 501, 2024; 2022 measurement period.
Among the three age groups reported, adults ages 18–44 had the highest participation rate at 21.3%. Participation was 14.1% among adults ages 45–64 and 8.0% among adults age 65 and older.
The historical Yoga Alliance study also reported a gender split among practitioners: 72% were women, equal to 26.4 million people, and 28% were men, equal to 10.3 million people. Those percentages belong to the 2016 Yoga in America Study and describe that study’s practitioner population, not the CDC’s 2022 adult participation rates.
The two sources answer different questions:
- The CDC reports the share of each adult population group that practiced yoga.
- Yoga Alliance reports the composition of the practitioner population in its 2016 study.
- Neither source supplies a current practice-frequency breakdown by gender or age.
Participation by race and ethnicity
The 2022 CDC estimates also show different yoga participation rates among selected racial and ethnic groups.
| Group | Practiced yoga in past 12 months |
|---|---|
| Asian non-Hispanic adults | 22.5% |
| White non-Hispanic adults | 19.3% |
| Black non-Hispanic adults | 12.6% |
Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 501, 2024; 2022 measurement period.
Among the groups listed, Asian non-Hispanic adults had the highest reported participation at 22.5%, followed by White non-Hispanic adults at 19.3% and Black non-Hispanic adults at 12.6%.
These figures are descriptive population estimates. They do not explain why participation differs, and the reported figures do not provide additional comparisons for every racial or ethnic category. It is therefore more accurate to report the percentages as measured than to assign causes or predict changes.
The CDC source also reports motivations and practice patterns among practitioners by race and ethnicity. Those measures describe people who practiced yoga, rather than the entire adult population.
Why active yoga practitioners practice
Restoring overall health was the most broadly reported reason in the dataset. 80.0% of yoga practitioners said they used yoga to restore overall health, according to CDC NCHS Data Brief 501.
The health-restoration measure stayed close to 80% across the reported demographic groups:
- 79.6% of male practitioners used yoga to restore overall health.
- 80.2% of female practitioners did so.
- The rate was 78.4% among practitioners ages 18–44, 83.3% among those ages 45–64, and 79.1% among those age 65 and older.
- The rate was 75.6% among Asian non-Hispanic practitioners, 76.7% among Black non-Hispanic practitioners, and 81.7% among White non-Hispanic practitioners.
- It was 79.5% among other and multiple-race non-Hispanic practitioners and 75.1% among Hispanic practitioners.
Income-group results were similarly concentrated around four in five practitioners:
| Practitioner income group | Used yoga to restore overall health |
|---|---|
| Below 200% of the federal poverty level | 80.2% |
| 200% to less than 400% of the federal poverty level | 78.9% |
| 400% of the federal poverty level or more | 80.5% |
Source: CDC NCHS Data Brief 501, 2024; 2022 measurement period.
The data shows a relatively narrow range across these income categories, from 78.9% to 80.5%. It does not establish that yoga caused improvements in health, and it does not measure the clinical results of practice.
Meditation and pain-management patterns
Yoga and meditation overlap substantially in the reported practice patterns. 57.4% of yoga practitioners practiced meditation as part of yoga in the CDC’s 2022 measurement.
The share was 52.9% among male practitioners and 59.3% among female practitioners. By age, 62.0% of practitioners ages 18–44 practiced meditation as part of yoga, compared with 53.9% of those ages 45–64 and 49.1% of those age 65 and older.
The reported racial and ethnic figures were:
- 56.7% among Asian non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 70.7% among Black non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 54.0% among White non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 70.8% among other and multiple-race non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 66.8% among Hispanic practitioners.
Income was also associated with different reported meditation shares:
- 65.3% among practitioners below 200% of the federal poverty level.
- 56.7% among practitioners at 200% to less than 400% of the federal poverty level.
- 55.7% among practitioners at 400% of the federal poverty level or more.
Pain management was a less common reported purpose than restoring overall health or combining yoga with meditation. 28.8% of yoga practitioners practiced yoga to treat or manage pain.
The CDC figures by group include:
- 31.8% of male practitioners and 27.5% of female practitioners.
- 27.9% of practitioners ages 18–44, 31.5% of those ages 45–64, and 27.2% of those age 65 and older.
- 21.1% of Asian non-Hispanic practitioners, 26.0% of Black non-Hispanic practitioners, and 30.0% of White non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 25.0% of other and multiple-race non-Hispanic practitioners and 31.9% of Hispanic practitioners.
These are reported reasons for practicing yoga, not medical treatment outcomes.
Historical yoga market and practitioner data
The 2016 Yoga in America Study from Yoga Alliance reported $16 billion in spending on yoga classes, gear, and accessories. The same study found that 34% of Americans, or 80 million people, said they were likely to try yoga over the next 12 months.
Awareness was already broad in that historical snapshot:
- 90% of Americans had heard of yoga.
- 75% agreed that yoga is good for you.
- 74% of practitioners had been practicing for five or fewer years.
The study also recorded self-reported characteristics among practitioners:
- 80% said they had good balance.
- 75% said they were physically strong.
- 86% reported a strong sense of mental clarity.
- 79% reported giving back to the community.
These statements are self-reports from the 2016 Yoga Alliance study. They should not be read as independently verified clinical measurements or as present-day national estimates.
Yoga studios, teachers, and active lifestyles
The Yoga Alliance Study Highlights for Yoga Teachers and Practitioners, also from 2016, described yoga as part of a broader active lifestyle. 79% of yoga practitioners also ran, cycled, lifted weights, or participated in at least one other athletic activity. 81% of yoga students had practiced outside of the yoga studio in the past year, and 37% had children under 18 who also did yoga.
Studio and teacher measures from the same historical source include:
- Nearly 40% of studio owners reported serving between 100 and 500 students per week.
- 62% of studio owners said their space was dedicated entirely to yoga.
- 91% of studio owners believed it was important for teachers to have a Yoga Alliance credential.
- 99% believed teachers should continue learning through more training.
- 99% believed teachers should be knowledgeable about yoga poses.
- About half of U.S. yoga teachers said they were Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teachers.
- Only 29% of teachers reported yoga as their primary source of income.
Together, these figures show several dimensions of active yoga participation: practice can happen outside studios, practitioners often take part in other athletic activities, and studio owners place strong value on continuing teacher education. Since the figures come from 2016 studies, they describe that period’s yoga ecosystem rather than current studio enrollment, teacher income, or credentialing conditions.