Ranked: Countries That Use Health and Fitness Apps the Most

We looked into the 2023 data to determine which countries use health and fitness applications the most and which ones they prefer.

Over the past five years, there’s been a notable rise in the popularity of health and fitness apps. They’ve become our personal trainers, mental health therapists, and dieting assistants, simplifying the process of taking charge of our health and well-being like never before.

In 2023 alone, people worldwide downloaded health and fitness apps more than 2 billion times — a 44% rise since the onset of Covid.

But who exactly are the top consumers of these apps?

According to Healthnews analysis, Europe leads in adopting health and fitness apps, with exceptions such as Singapore and South Korea.

Sunny Portugal claims the top spot on the list, with 1.29 app downloads per internet user in 2023, followed by France and Belgium.

Key findings

• Health and fitness apps garnered over 2 billion downloads in 2023 — a 44% rise since the onset of Covid.
• Europeans lead in health and fitness app usage, with Portugal at the top.
• The United States dominates overall download numbers, with 298 million in 2023 alone.
• The period tracking app Flo emerges as the most popular among health and fitness applications, boasting nearly 21 million downloads last year.

Methodology

The app download data was extracted from the App Store and Google Play Store using AppTweak. It includes download statistics of the top 200 most popular paid and free iOS and Android apps within the Health and Fitness category globally.

To determine which countries used health apps the most in 2023, we calculated the ratio of health and wellness app downloads to internet users in over 50 countries and ranked them accordingly. The data of internet users in each country was sourced from DataReportal.

Top 10 nations for health and fitness app usage

#1 Portugal

Our analysis shows that Portuguese people downloaded health and fitness apps the most in 2023, averaging 1.29 downloads per internet user and totaling 8.8 million.

The most downloaded health and fitness app in Portugal was SNS 24, with 628.8k installs. This app is part of Portugal’s National Health Service and offers users a wide array of features, including medical advice, symptom checker, appointment scheduling, prescription refills, and healthcare record access. Apps affiliated with hospital networks are also highly popular among Portuguese users.

#2 France

France secures the second spot on the list with 1.23 downloads per internet user, amounting to 74.6 million overall downloads last year.

The health and fitness app of choice in France is Compte Ameli, provided by the French social security system and installed nearly 4 million times in 2023. This app enables French residents to access their health records, submit reimbursement claims, and manage appointments, among other things.

Alongside the government app, walking apps are also highly popular in France. With a unique incentive of earning money while walking, Macadama and WeWard claim the second and third places, respectively, together accumulating 4.8 million downloads in 2023.

#3 Belgium

The neighboring Belgium also ranks high on the wellness app user list, with 1.10 app downloads per internet user and 12.3 million throughout 2023.

Unlike Portugal and France, Belgium’s most popular app is not governmental. Instead, it’s a gym membership and fitness service app called Basic-Fit, which has been downloaded 617.5k times over the last year. Belgians also have a strong preference for outdoor navigation apps like AllTrails and Komoot.

#4 Singapore

Singapore, one of the only two Asian countries that made it to the top 10, has 1.07 health and fitness app downloads per internet user, 6.2 million in total.

At the forefront is HealthHub SG, with 417.8k downloads in 2023. Operated by the government, the app offers a range of health-related information, services, and resources to Singaporean citizens.

Following closely are the Health Buddy app, facilitating SingHealth clinic visits management, and OneNUHS by the National University Health System, providing users access to health information and services across various NUHS institutions.

#5 The Netherlands

Next up is the Netherlands, with 1.04 downloads per user and a total of 18.1 million. The Dutch share similarities with their Belgian neighbors in their preference for health and fitness apps such as Komoot (529.8k downloads), Bacit-Fit (526.5k downloads), and AllTrail (429.4k downloads), which were among the top 3 most installed apps, based on data from 2023.

Other countries in the top 10 include the United Kingdom, with 1.04 downloads per internet user, alongside Italy, Germany, Spain, and South Korea, each with 1.03 downloads per internet user.

In terms of overall downloads, the United States takes the lead with an impressive 298 million in the last year alone.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Nigeria, all ranking in the bottom 5 for health and fitness app downloads per internet user.

Top countries by health and fitness app downloads (2023)

Among the apps, the period tracking app Flo claimed the top spot last year, amassing close to 21 million downloads. The Home Workout - No Equipment app by Leap Fitness Group follows closely, with 18.5 million downloads.

In third place is the Blood Pressure app by QR Code Scanner, boasting 16.6 million downloads. No mental health or meditation apps secured a spot in the global top 10 in 2023.