In the 2022 U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 8.0% of adults age 65 and older practiced yoga during the previous 12 months. The comparable rate was 14.0% among adults ages 45–64 and 21.3% among adults ages 18–44. These figures describe U.S. adults who reported yoga participation during the 12-month period before the survey, rather than the share attending classes at a particular frequency.
Contents
- How common is yoga participation among adults age 65 and older?
- How participation changed from 2002 to 2022
- Which demographic and income groups report participation?
- Why older adults practice yoga for overall health
- Meditation as part of yoga
- Yoga and pain-management patterns
How common is yoga participation among adults age 65 and older?
The 2022 NHIS found that 8.0% of U.S. adults age 65 and older practiced yoga in the previous 12 months. The same survey reported a higher participation rate among every younger age group measured: 14.0% for adults ages 45–64 and 21.3% for adults ages 18–44. For all U.S. adults age 18 and older, the age-adjusted prevalence was 16.9%.
| U.S. age group | Practiced yoga in previous 12 months, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Age 65 and older | 8.0% |
| Ages 45–64 | 14.0% |
| Ages 18–44 | 21.3% |
| Age 18 and older, age-adjusted | 16.9% |
Source: Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022.
The age pattern is important when interpreting the overall adult estimate. The 16.9% age-adjusted figure is not the participation rate for older adults; the age-specific estimate for adults 65 and older is 8.0%. The survey measure also refers to participation at any point during the prior year, so it does not establish how often older participants practiced or what style they used.
How participation changed from 2002 to 2022
The available NHIS estimates show a rise in reported yoga participation among adults age 65 and older over the measured years. The estimate was 1.3% in 2002, 2.0% in 2007, 3.3% in 2012, 6.7% in 2017, and 8.0% in 2022. These are estimates for different survey years and should be read as a historical series, not as a forecast of future participation.
| Survey year | Adults age 65 and older who practiced yoga in the previous 12 months |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 1.3% |
| 2007 | 2.0% |
| 2012 | 3.3% |
| 2017 | 6.7% |
| 2022 | 8.0% |
Sources: Trends in the Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Adults: United States, 2002–2012; Yoga for Health; Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over; and Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022.
Other age groups also recorded higher estimates in the historical NHIS data. Among adults ages 45–64, participation was 5.2% in 2002 and 7.2% in 2012. Among adults ages 18–44, it was 6.3% in 2002 and 11.2% in 2012. Across U.S. adults, the percentage practicing yoga rose from 9.5% in 2012 to 14.3% in 2017.
The source labels and measurement periods matter here. The 2002 and 2012 figures come from a report covering complementary health approaches, the 2007 and 2012 older-adult figures are presented in Yoga for Health, and the 2017 estimate comes from an NCHS data brief. The 2022 estimate comes from the later NHIS yoga report. This article preserves those published estimates without treating legacy figures as independently verified.
Which demographic and income groups report participation?
The 2022 NHIS reported different yoga participation rates across sex, race and Hispanic-origin categories, and family-income groups. Women had a participation rate of 23.3%, compared with 10.3% for men. Among race and Hispanic-origin groups, the reported rates were 22.5% for Asian non-Hispanic adults, 19.3% for White non-Hispanic adults, 15.7% for adults of other or multiple races who were non-Hispanic, 12.6% for Black non-Hispanic adults, and 10.5% for Hispanic adults.
Income was also associated with different reported participation levels. The rate was 10.4% among adults with family income below 200% of the federal poverty level, 15.7% among those with income from 200% to less than 400% of the federal poverty level, and 23.0% among those with income at 400% of the federal poverty level or higher.
For an earlier comparison, the 2017 NCHS data brief reported yoga participation among 17.1% of non-Hispanic White adults and 9.3% of non-Hispanic Black adults. That comparison is from 2017, while the more detailed demographic and income estimates above are from 2022.
Source: Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022; earlier comparison: Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over.
These figures describe U.S. adults overall within each reported category, not older adults within each category. The 8.0% estimate for adults age 65 and older and the demographic estimates answer different questions: one is age-specific, while the other describes participation across the adult population by subgroup.
Why older adults practice yoga for overall health
The 2022 NHIS also asked practitioners why they practiced yoga. Among all U.S. adults who practiced yoga, 80.0% reported practicing it to restore overall health. Among practitioners age 65 and older, the corresponding figure was 79.1%. It was 83.3% among practitioners ages 45–64 and 78.4% among practitioners ages 18–44.
The similarity of these percentages shows that restoring overall health was a commonly reported purpose in each age group, even though participation itself was less common among older adults. The measure is a reason reported by people who already practiced yoga; it is not a clinical assessment of a health outcome.
The 2022 report also recorded the following percentages among yoga practitioners who reported practicing to restore overall health:
- 79.6% of male practitioners and 80.2% of female practitioners.
- 75.6% of Asian non-Hispanic practitioners and 81.7% of White non-Hispanic practitioners.
- 75.1% of Hispanic practitioners.
- 80.2% of practitioners with family income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
- 80.5% of practitioners with family income at 400% of the federal poverty level or higher.
Source: Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022.
The denominator changes in this group of statistics. The 79.1% older-adult figure is the percentage among older adults who practiced yoga, not the percentage of all adults age 65 and older. Keeping that distinction visible helps separate participation prevalence from the reasons reported by participants.
Meditation as part of yoga
Meditation was another reported component of yoga practice. In 2022, 57.4% of U.S. adults who practiced yoga said they practiced meditation as part of yoga. Among yoga practitioners age 65 and older, the percentage was 49.1%. It was 53.9% among practitioners ages 45–64 and 62.0% among practitioners ages 18–44.
The 2022 NHIS also reported meditation as part of yoga for 52.9% of male practitioners and 59.3% of female practitioners. By race and Hispanic-origin category, the figures included 70.7% among Black non-Hispanic practitioners, 54.0% among White non-Hispanic practitioners, and 66.8% among Hispanic practitioners.
Income-group results included 65.3% among practitioners with family income below 200% of the federal poverty level and 55.7% among practitioners with family income at 400% of the federal poverty level or higher.
Source: Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022.
For older practitioners, the 49.1% estimate means that about half of those who practiced yoga reported meditation as part of that practice. It does not mean that 49.1% of all U.S. adults age 65 and older meditated through yoga, because the statistic is limited to older adults who were already identified as yoga practitioners.
Yoga and pain-management patterns
In 2022, 28.8% of U.S. adults who practiced yoga reported practicing it to treat or manage physical pain. Among yoga practitioners age 65 and older, the percentage was 27.2%. The figure was higher among practitioners ages 45–64, at 31.5%, and 27.9% among practitioners ages 18–44.
The same NHIS report provided additional comparisons:
- 31.8% of male practitioners and 27.5% of female practitioners practiced yoga to treat or manage physical pain.
- The percentage was 21.1% among Asian non-Hispanic practitioners and 30.0% among White non-Hispanic practitioners.
- Among practitioners with family income below 200% of the federal poverty level, 37.8% reported practicing yoga to treat or manage physical pain.
- Among practitioners with family income at 400% of the federal poverty level or higher, the corresponding percentage was 25.4%.
Source: Yoga Among Adults Age 18 and Older: United States, 2022.
These results describe reported purpose, not proof that yoga relieved pain or replaced medical treatment. They also show why age-specific participation and purpose should be kept separate: 8.0% is the share of adults age 65 and older who practiced yoga during the previous year, while 27.2% is the share of older yoga practitioners who said they used it to treat or manage physical pain.