BEIJING, Oct. 16 -- The number of outdoor sports participants in China exceeds 500 million, with the total scale of the outdoor sports industry reaching approximately 3.17 trillion yuan (about 450 billion U.S. dollars), according to the China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2025-2026), released at the opening of the 2026 China Outdoor Sports Industry Conference on Friday.

According to statistics from the Sports Economy Department of the General Administration of Sport, outdoor sports are gaining popularity in third- and fourth-tier cities, where strong consumer enthusiasm has driven consumption to 42% of the national total.

Demographically, outdoor sports consumers are relatively evenly distributed across age groups and genders. People aged 19-49 account for 76.16% of all consumers, while women and men make up 50.82% and 49.18%, respectively.

First held in 2023, the China Outdoor Sports Industry Conference is now in its fourth edition. Featuring five major sections including opening ceremony, thematic activities, sports shows, resource promotions and competitions, the conference highlights four key themes: new experiences, new settings, new integration, and new technologies.