YOGA WORLDWIDE: THE COUNTRIES WHERE YOU MOST DECOVER YOUR yoga mat " AND WHY "
From Kerala (a southern Indian state famous for Ayurveda and yoga retreats) to Los Angeles, yoga is conquering the planet. But where is it practised most today?
Discover the 2025 ranking of the world's most yogic nations, including key figures and emerging trends.... Discover where yoga mat has become a way of life, far beyond a simple practice.
Written by TINA - August 2025
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Reading time
Approx. 10 minutes
WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER
The 2025 ranking of countries with the most yoga practitioners, with figures to back it up
Key data on yoga mat use worldwide, by volume and per capita
The 10 nations where the yoga mat has become an everyday item, all levels combined
The new geographic areas of the yoga boom, between Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia
The best statistical sources for tracking the evolution of yoga and the yoga mat market
Why yoga mat has become a global symbol of well-being
"Let's take a look!
THE 2025 RANKING OF COUNTRIES WHERE YOGA IS MOST PRACTICED
From Indian temples to New York rooftops, yoga has conquered the planet. In 2025, it is estimated that over 300 million people will practice yoga regularly, often on a yoga mat that has become almost ritualistic. But in which countries is this age-old discipline most deeply rooted in everyday life?
According to the latest cross-referenced data (Yoga Alliance, Statista, The Good Body), India remains the leading practicing country, both in terms of volume and cultural roots. The United States follows, with over 38 million yogis, mostly equipped with yoga mat for studio or home practice. China, Germany, Brazil and France complete the leading pack, each with several million followers.
In Europe, the yoga mat has established itself as one of the best-selling pieces of equipment in the wellness sector, and in certain regions such as Canada and Scandinavia, yoga reaches up to 10% of the population.
This ranking reveals more than just a sporting trend: it illustrates a worldwide transformation in the relationship to the body, to breath, and to personal space - symbolized by yoga mat.
KEY DATA ON THE USE OF yoga mat WORLDWIDE, BY VOLUME AND PER CAPITA
While millions of people practice yoga, it's often the yoga mat that brings the practice into everyday life. Compact, nomadic, anchored - it's both a ritual object and a technical support. But which countries buy and use them the most?
In absolute terms, the United States dominates: it is estimated that there are over 40 million yoga mat in circulation, compared with around 30 million in India, where yoga is often practiced on traditional surfaces, without standardized mats. In Europe, Germany, France and the UK together have sold over 10 million yoga mat in the last five years, with annual growth of +5 to +8% depending on the market (source: Statista, 2024, [Yoga Journal]).
Canada, Sweden and Australia are the countries with the most yoga mat per capita, with estimated usage rates of 1 mat for every 6 to 8 people. In France, we're approaching 1 yoga mat per 15 inhabitants, a figure that's rising sharply, driven by the democratization of yoga at home.
This worldwide spread of yoga mat reflects a fundamental trend: yoga is no longer practised only in the classroom - it's moving into the living room, the water's edge, the office. And the mat is becoming a personal reference point, a nomadic space for well-being.
THE 10 NATIONS WHERE yoga mat HAS BECOME AN EVERYDAY OBJECT
In some countries, the yoga mat has become as much a part of everyday life as a pair of sneakers or an office floor mat. It's no longer just an accessory reserved for studios or enthusiasts: it's a life companion, sometimes even a trigger for wellness rituals.
According to cross-referenced data from Yoga Alliance, Statista and Exercise.com, here are the 10 countries where the use of yoga mat is most common in everyday life:
🇺🇸: 38 million yoga practitioners, and the almost systematic presence of yoga mat at home, in the studio and even in the office.
🇨🇦: high penetration rate, with over 20% of adults having a yoga mat at home.
🇸🇪: highly integrated into wellness routines, especially among women (1 in 5 has a yoga mat).
🇦🇺: highly developed urban and outdoor yoga, with daily use of yoga mat in parks or on terraces.
🇩🇪: over 5 million regular practitioners and widespread adoption of yoga mat in the home.
🇫🇷: around 3 to 4 million yogis, most of them equipped with a personal yoga mat .
🇬🇧: post-COVID yoga booms with home yoga mat sales.
🇳🇱: great sensitivity to holistic well-being and sustainable equipment (cork carpets, for example).
🇯🇵: integrating yoga into small spaces, the yoga mat is compact, foldable and often used on the floor.
🇮🇳: despite being the birthplace of yoga, the use of "modern" yoga mat is becoming more widespread, particularly among the urban middle classes.
This massive spread shows that yoga mat has gone beyond its role as a simple sports accessory. It has become a tool for anchoring morning routines, breathing, mobility and centering, at the heart of modern daily life.
NEW BOOMING GEOGRAPHIC AREAS YOGA
Long concentrated in India, North America and Western Europe, the practice of yoga is now spreading to new regions of the globe, where yoga mat is becoming a marker of social evolution, accessible well-being and even modernity.
In East Africa, cities such as Nairobi, Kigali and Accra are witnessing the emergence of dynamic yoga communities, often led by women entrepreneurs. The yoga mat y symbolizes a reclaiming of personal space, in societies where mental health is becoming a growing issue. In South Africa, postural yoga is also enjoying rapid growth in urban centers.
In Latin America, Brazil is no longer alone: Chile, Mexico and Colombia are investing in wellness events, urban yoga studios and local distribution of eco-designed yoga mat . In Bogotá and São Paulo, yoga mat are invading public spaces, parks and even businesses.
In Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are increasingly integrating yoga into their tourism offerings, as well as into their urban routines. In Bali and Bangkok, the yoga mat is becoming a part of everyday life, far beyond tourism.
Even in more unexpected regions such as the Middle East, yoga is making headway. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, high-end studios and concept stores are springing up around premiumyoga mat , surfing on a lifestyle vision of well-being.
This worldwide phenomenon illustrates that yoga is no longer a practice reserved for a Western elite. It is becoming a universal language of body and mind, and yoga mat is its silent but fundamental support.
THE BEST STATISTICAL SOURCES FOR MONITORING YOGA AND THE yoga mat MARKET
To measure the global expansion of yoga, and understand the meteoric rise of the yoga mat market, it's essential to have reliable, up-to-date and comparable data on a global scale.
Every year, the Yoga Alliance (USA) publishes detailed reports on practitioner profiles, session frequency and geographical distribution. Its Yoga in the World report has become a benchmark, indicating, for example, that nearly 38 million Americans practised yoga on yoga mat in 2023(r.yogaalliance.org).
The Good Body website aggregates and translates the main industry studies into accessible figures. It shows that the global yoga market (including yoga mat, clothing and accessories) will exceed $88 billion by 2023, with forecast growth of 9.4% per year(thegoodbody.com).
Statista, for its part, offers a macro-economic reading, with statistics by country on the yoga mat equipment rate, online sales, or purchasing habits by age and gender. For example, it provides market shares for ecological vs. PVC yoga mat , or sales peaks by region.
Finally, platforms such as Exercise.com and Yoga Journal bring together health data, fitness trends and consumer trends. They allow us to observe the evolution of the place of yoga mat in homes and studios around the world.
Drawing on these sources allows us not only to track major trends, but also to distinguish the cultural practices of yoga in each country... and to see how yoga mat becomes a concrete witness to this globalization of well-being.
WHY yoga mat IS NOW A GLOBAL SYMBOL OF WELL-BEING
In a world in perpetual motion, yoga offers a fixed point, a return to oneself. And at the heart of this practice is a discreet but fundamental object: the yoga mat. More than a simple support, it has become for millions of people a personal space for regeneration, stability and breathing.
From the urban floor of Tokyo to the beaches of Rio, from the parquet floor of a Canadian living room to the roof of a building in Nairobi, yoga mat is rolled out every day as a gesture of intention. It marks the moment when we disconnect from the hustle and bustle to reconnect with what's essential. It materializes the gentle boundary between outside and inside, between the world and oneself.
If yoga is an age-old discipline, its contemporary adaptation involves this nomadic, colorful, technical or refined object. The yoga mat becomes the mirror of a new way of experiencing well-being: more autonomous, more conscious, more grounded. It is at once a tool, a ritual and a reference point.
It's this simplicity - lay down a mat, breathe, anchor yourself - that explains why yoga mat has become a true global symbol of well-being. A silent but powerful symbol.
Thank you TINA for this post
👉 Discover our complete guide to choosing your yoga mat
👉 Browse the Yogaterrae yoga mat collectionto find yours
👉 Or reread our post: 7 mistakes to avoid with a yoga mat
TINA's bio
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TINA
1994, Reunion Island & Mauritius, a Life inspired by the Indian Ocean and Yoga
Since childhood, this intrepid traveler has criss-crossed the globe, leaving her footprints on beaches the world over.Passionate about surfing, scuba diving and sailing, she has made the ocean her playground and source of inspiration.
The freedom of the waves, the serenity of the ocean depths and the wind in his sails have punctuated his journey, always guided by a quest for connection with nature.
Through her explorations, yoga has become more than a practice for her - it's a way of life.
Between morning surf sessions and meditative sunsets, she has found in yoga a perfect balance of strength, fluidity and self-awareness.
Today, she combines her passion for water sports with teaching yoga and is part of the Yogaterrae team, here in France, in the South-West and often remotely :)
This adventuress is a true source of inspiration for anyone who aspires to live in harmony with their body and nature.
Through her stories of incredible experiences, she invites everyone to open up to a world where every wave, every breath and every posture is a celebration of life.
