19 Self-Improvement Industry Statistics You Probably Didn’t Know Before
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By definition, self-improvement is the process of gaining new skills and knowledge to become a better person, personally and professionally.
Self-improvement industry statistics prove that more people are eager to sharpen their skills and become better versions of themselves. It’s no wonder that the market is so lucrative.
Thanks to its broad appeal, this market has been quite successful in recent years. If you want to learn more about this constantly-growing industry, then you are in the right place.
Top Self-Help Industry Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- Deepak Chopra has a net worth of $150 million.
- 12 of the 17 most prominent motivational speakers are 60 or older.
- Approximately 75 million millennials worldwide use self-help services.
- Most motivational speakers are men.
The health, gym, and fitness club market is worth $37 billion. - Women make up three quarters of the overall self-help book readers.
- 0.8% of the people interested in self-help want to learn about stress management.
Self-improvement Industry Statistics Regarding The US Market
1. Motivational speaker and author Deepak Chopra has a net worth of $150 million.
(Wealthy Persons)
Deepak Chopra is an Indian-American motivational speaker and author of self-help books who started his career by teaching at the medical schools of Boston University, Tufts University, and Harvard University.
He is one of the wealthiest people in the self-improvement industry, and Deepak Chopra net worth is estimated to be $150 million.
As of 2015, Chopra had written 80 books, and 21 of them are New York Times bestsellers. What’s more, his book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” was featured on the New York Times Best Seller list for 72 weeks.
2. Of the 17 most prominent motivational speakers, 12 are 60 or older.
(Market Research)
This makes sense because baby boomers are the primary consumers of self-help services. However, this will probably change as younger gurus will be more suitable for millennials and generation Z.
3. The self-improvement market size is expected to reach $14.0 billion by 2025.
(Market Research)
Personal development industry growth is slow but steady. This market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 0.6%, which isn’t very much. Still, we have to take into consideration that the self-improvement industry also took a hit last year, when the coronavirus endemic started.
Demographics of Self Help Market
4. Roughly 75 million the global consumers of self-help services are millennials.
(Market Research)
Millennials are taking primacy as the industry’s primary consumers, replacing baby boomers. As various self-help statistics reveal, millennials are considered the future of this market, as around 75 million consumers worldwide belong to this generation.
5. 75% of millennials would travel to improve their overall health.
(PR Newswire)
A global study named “Generation Travel,” conducted by Hotels.com revealed a new type of traveler who belongs to the millennial generation. In the study, they call this type of millennial traveler “Intrepid Improver.”
This is the type of traveler who goes to all-inclusive vacations, where the primary focus is to improve oneself. Interestingly, around 75% of the US millennial explorers belong to this group of travelers.
The same self awareness statistics show that 42% of “Intrepid Improvers” prefer a learning-based vacation that will improve their mental and physical health.
On the other hand, only 24% of the boomer generation is interested in this type of vacation.
6. The average self-help product consumer is a woman in her 40ies.
(Brandon Gaille)
The average customer in the self-help industry is a middle-aged woman between 40 and 50. In fact, 70% of all industry customers are women, and most of them live on the East Coast or the West Coast of the US.
7. The majority of the motivational speakers are men.
(Market Research)
While most of the self-help market consumers are women, men are far more likely to be motivational speakers. Most of those speeches are tailored towards the younger generation—Millennials, in particular.
The average motivational speaker’s salary is $106,000 per year, while a senior-level professional motivational speaker earns at least $217,872 per year.
8. Millennials are willing to spend $300 per month on personal-development.
(BrandMinds)
Personal-development industry statistics show that 94% of the Millenials are willing to spend up to $300 per month on things that can help them improve themselves. Moreover, this generation spends twice as much on self-improvement as baby boomers.
Self-Help Industry Statistics About Weight Loss and Its Market
9. Losing weight is a major goal for around 97 million Americans.
(WebWire)
Diet programs are also part of the self-help industry. According to weight loss facts, large commercial programs are continually growing.
Commercial and medical programs make around $5.5 billion of the overall self-help industry. To be more specific, commercial weight-loss programs are worth $3.7 billion, while medical ones are worth $1.8 billion.
10. The health, gym, and fitness club market is estimated at $37 billion.
(IBIS World)
This market has been steady as of 2016. However, it’s the 269th largest market in the US, which isn’t very impressive. Luckily, fitness is one of the most popular self-improvement industry trends. People who work on their minds ]eventually realize that taking care of one’s body is crucial for overall wellbeing.
11. The self-improvement market industry will grow at a CAGR of 6% between 2019 and 2024.
(PR Newswire)
According to self-improvement industry statistics, this market is expected to reach a value of $269.2 billion by 2024, with a CAGR of 6% during the period between 2019 and 2024.
The major reasons for the growth of this market are the rising health awareness and an increase in chronic diseases and obesity. What’s more, obesity is already a part of public healthcare budgets all over the world.
This inspired corporations and governments to start initiatives to reduce the prevalence of obesity. They are implementing those initiatives through wellness programs, promotion of dietary habits, technology, etc.
12. The fitness equipment market is predicted to reach $15.2 billion by 2027.
(Allied Market Research)
Due to the increased health awareness around the globe, the demand for fitness equipment has significantly increased. Self-help industry statistics reveal that this market, valued at $11.5 billion in 2019, is forecast to reach $15.2 billion by 2027 with the CAGR of 3.5%.
The cardiovascular training equipment dominated the market share in 2019 and is also forecast to maintain its lead until 2027.
Moreover, one of the crucial factors that contributed to the rise of this market is that, due to their hectic lifestyles, people prefer working out at home and saving on gym memberships.
Statistics About Self Help Books and Apps
13. Three-quarters of self-development book readers are women.
(Quartz)
Self-help books are an essential part of this industry. According to self-help books statistics by Goodreads, while three-quarters of the overall readers are women, 62.5% of self-help books readers are also women. However, the majority of self-help book authors are men.
So, more men are writing self-help books while more women are reading those books. A significant number of self-help books written by men have a larger readership among women than among men.
14. Self-help book sales reached 18.6 million in 2019.
(Publishing Perspectives)
NPD reports that unit sales of self-help books have increased at 11% CAGR in only six years (from 2013) and have reached 18.6 million in 2019.
Another fun fact about the self-help book market is that the number of published self-help books even outpaced the sales growth.
The number of unique ISBNs has grown from 30,897 in 2014 to 85,253 in 2019.
15. In 2018, self-help audiobook revenue reached $769 million.
(Market Research)
While the self-help book market was valued at $800 million in 2018, self-help audiobooks have reached $769 million. Both markets have shown similar growth tendencies of 6% and 5.6% per year, respectively.
16. Top 10 meditation apps earned $195 million in 2019.
(Tech Church)
Meditation is a practice that originates from India. Although it’s very old, modern people have realized that it can help people cope with everyday problems considerably better if they meditate at least five minutes a day.
The personal development market realized that and that’s why there are so many meditation gurus, books, and apps. In fact, according to meditation statistics, the meditation app market promises to reach $4.3 billion by 2027.
17. 0.8% of the people who are interested in self-help want to learn how to manage stress.
(Richard Step)
The top three self-help topics are: Confidence (10.2%), Career/Interview (7.8%) and Motivation (7%). On the other hand, only 0.8% of the people are interested in learning how to manage stress, which seems to be the root of most personal issues.
18. All motivational speakers (around 5,000 of them) earn over $1.6 billion every year.
(Market Research)
According to personal development industry statistics, the top 17 most popular motivational speakers generate around $296 million. Nonetheless, being a motivational speaker is difficult in the beginning, as people don’t have experience and often work for free. The global pandemic is a big problem for them, as gatherings are canceled and hosting online costs less.
19. The educational toys market will most likely reach $31.62 billion by 2026.
(PR Newswire)
The development of children’s brains through toys is possible. Moreover, such toys are always a good choice. One of the interesting facts is that North America and Asia Pacific Region show the biggest demand for educational toys.
Self-Improvement Industry Statistics – Conclusion
In recent years, the self-improvement industry has increased at an unprecedented pace. People are investing in personal development to improve the quality of their lives more than ever before. A lot of people include fitness and healthy eating in personal development, as well.
While self-help books remain one of the most prominent self-help products, this industry has a broader reach. In fact, it has developed different programs, technology, and media, striving to satisfy the consumers’ needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How big is the self-help industry?
This industry was worth $10.5 in 2020. However, it’s estimated that it will grow in the future, reaching $14 billion by 2025. The self-help industry includes motivational speakers, weight loss, personal coaching, holistic institutes, etc.
Baby boomers are the most frequent consumers of self-improvement products and services, while millennials are expected to take their place in the distant future.
The majority of readers are women, or at the very least, they’re more willing to admit to it. Most of those books provide advice about how to live well, live a minimalist life, and find happiness.
Self-help books help readers solve their personal issues. Thus, people read self-help books to learn how to solve problems and improve their quality of life.
How many self-help books are there?
The number of such books is steadily increasing. Therefore, it’s difficult to know the exact number of self-improvement books. However, the number of unique ISBNs has grown from 30,897 in 2014 to 85,253 in 2019.
How much do Millennials spend on self-improvement?
According to the statistics, millennial consumers of self-help services are willing to spend $300 every month on personal development and self improvement.
Does self-improvement actually work?
There’s a lot of speculation about the influence and benefits of self help books. The truth is, such books work if people understand what they read and follow the given advice.
Self-help books are useless only if the readers don’t implement what they have learned. Additionally, self-help books sometimes contradict themselves and are almost always written based on the author’s personal experience and opinion, meaning their advice can’t always be implemented in a similar vein.
Is too much self-improvement a bad thing?
Self-help can be harmful if people follow bad advice, wrong advice, or even misunderstand good advice. In some cases, it is better to seek professional help rather than rely on self-help. However, reliance on self-help can sometimes discourage people from seeking professional help.
You don’t need to read self-improvement industry statistics to find out if you’re experiencing burnout. If you push yourself too hard, that’s not self-help.
