Anti-obesity drugs thin out fitness industry as spending shifts, gyms close

People exercise at a gym in southern Seoul on June 30, 2025. [NEWS1] Obesity drugs are thinning out the fitness industry. The once-thriving "dumbbell economy" that saw fitness-driven spending soar is going on a forced diet as people turn to medical solutions for weight management. The number of customers using their cards at Pilates and yoga studios last year fell below levels seen during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, according to data from Shinhan Card's Big Data Research Center on Sunday, with a 12 percent decline. Related Article Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy weight-loss pill for sale in U.S. Government to designate Wegovy and Mounjaro as drugs of concern for misuse Gov't eyes oversight measures to prevent Wegovy misuse The number of customers at Pilates and yoga studios rose 3.1 percent on year in 2022 but declined steadily afterward, falling 8.6 percent on year in 2023, 3.7 percent on year in 2024 and another 3.1 percent on year last year. Gym usage also took a blow last year. The number of customers steadily increased each year from 2021, including a 25.4 percent jump in 2022 after social distancing rules ended, but fell by nearly 2 percent last year from a year earlier. Monthly data last year showed declines in most months, except June and July, ahead of summer, and December. People exercise at a gym in Seoul on June 30, 2025. [YONHAP] More gyms also shuttered as business conditions worsened. A total of 553 fitness centers filed for closure, the second-highest figure on record after 567 in 2024, and higher than 431 in 2020 and 403 in 2021 during the pandemic, according to government data. The growing popularity of running among people in their 20s and 30s, along with the spread of apartment complex fitness centers, has also...