More than 400 million people in China are now engaged in outdoor sports, according to a report released by the Economic Department of the General Administration of Sport of China.

The China Outdoor Sports Industry Development Report (2024-2025) said young and middle-aged adults are the main consumers of outdoor activities, with those aged 25 to 34 accounting for the largest share and generally having higher education levels.

First-tier and new first-tier cities continue to lead in outdoor sports participation, while second-tier cities are rapidly catching up, the report said.

By the end of 2024, China had 2,678 ice and snow sports venues nationwide, including 1,764 skating venues (65.87 percent) and 914 ski venues (34.13 percent). The country also had about 171,800 fitness trails with a total length of 407,600 kilometers, according to the report.

A tourist (R) experiences kayaking under the guidance of a coach at Fuxian Lake in Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Wang Jingyi)

The scale of China's water sports industry reached 438.6 billion yuan (about 61.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, with more than 120 million participants nationwide.

The total value of the winter sports industry reached 970 billion yuan (about 136.6 billion U.S. dollars). During the 2024-2025 snow season, ski resorts across the country received a combined 256 million visits.

During the same season, 26 national-level resorts welcomed 37.65 million skiers and generated revenue of 24.3 billion yuan (about 3.4 billion U.S. dollars). More than 300 rural outdoor sports events were held in 2024, driving over 5 billion yuan (about 700 million U.S. dollars) in consumption.

Total investment and financing in China's outdoor sports sector reached 276 million yuan (about 38.8 million U.S. dollars) in 2024, accounting for 27.47 percent of the nation's total sports-related investment, with capital mainly flowing into equipment manufacturing and venue construction.

Cycling enthusiasts compete in a bicycle race in Chuzhou City, on Sept. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

As of the end of June 2025, China had 335,000 outdoor sports-related enterprises, with more than 24,000 newly registered in the first half of the year, the report said.