SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE
UK’s pool stock continues to shrink, but less dramatically than last year; Leisure DB releases its State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2025
The UK’s pool stock has shrunk again this year, with the decline more marked in the public than in the private sector. In the 12 months to 31 March 2025, the total number of UK sites operating a pool fell to 2,882 – a fall of 0.5 per cent since 31 March 2024. This compares to a 2 per cent drop in the previous 12 months. In addition, the total number of pools also fell by 0.4 per cent this year, to 4,257 pools.
In the deep end
The figures come from the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2025, compiled by market intelligence expert Leisure DB, published in July. The full report is available to read, for free, at [www.leisuredb.com/publications](http://www.leisuredb.com/publications)
Interviewing operators and experts for the report, it is clear this year’s slower rate of decline fails to alleviate concerns over the bigger trend.
Swim England CEO, Andy Salmon, notes that “76 per cent of the publicly accessible water space lost in the past 15 years has been lost since 2020”, while GLL’s Andrew Clark comments: “Pools are drowning. Without increased support, smaller operators will disappear and pool closures will continue to accelerate.”
There is some good news from within the sector, with many referencing a new era of collaboration and pointing to early wins being achieved by The Swimming Alliance. The alliance is a collaborative group of more than 25 leading national organisations united to address the urgent and systemic challenges facing swimming and aquatic participation across the UK. It advocates for equity, sustainability, and strategic investment in swimming as a life-saving skill, public health priority, and national development asset.
Strong demand
Operators interviewed this year also report continued strong demand for swimming; although many acknowledge a plateau being reached following the post-COVID-19 boom, they also report this sitting at a higher level of participation than pre-pandemic. The average public sector pay-per-swim fee has also risen again, to £5.80, while GLL reports a 10 per cent increase in swimming lesson income following price rises.
Operators are facing tough trading conditions, shaped by rising costs and cautious consumer spending
“In spite of these price rises, sales have rocketed this year. It just shows that in a lot of cases, public leisure is still under- pricing what it does,” says GLL’s Clark.
Nevertheless, there is broad agreement with the findings of Sport England’s Moving Communities survey (October 2024), which found that although “swimming still represents the most quoted main activity”, people’s “activity mix has changed gradually over the last four years, with swimming decreasing and fitness and group exercise increasing”.
As a result, several operators interviewed this year reference a need for greater innovation and investment – including in programming and staff training – to drive further growth. “Although there is some good news for the UK’s swim sector – notably where new pools are a major component of regeneration – this year’s State of the UK Swimming Industry Report continues to highlight net losses of pool provision,” says Leisure DB founder David Minton in his foreword to the report.
“Those still operating have to work harder to satisfy the demand from the myriad of users; this report shows how constant innovation and programming continues to drive the carrying capacity of the reduced water volume.”
Alongside interviews, commentary and analysis, this flagship report for the UK’s swim sector also provides a full breakdown of pool numbers and locations, openings and closures, public and private sector leaders, fees, facilities and more.
“Our thanks go to all our expert commentators and, of course, to our partners who have enabled us to share this fantastic report for free,” says Minton.
PLACES
THE STATE OF SWIMMING
The main findings from this year’s report highlight the challenges and opportunities faced by the aquatics sector
PUBLIC SECTOR 2025
PRIVATE SECTOR 2025
KEY STATS FOR 2025
■ Across the UK, the total number of clubs/centres with a pool is down -0.5% since the 2024 report.
■ The number of pools is also down -0.4% compared to last year.
■ At the end of March 2025, there were 2,882 sites with pools across the UK, accounting for a total of 4,257 pools; some locations have multiple pools.
■ Of this total, the public sector operates 1,603 sites and the private sector 1,279.
■ GLL and Nuffield Health remain the UK’s leading public and private operators, respectively.
■ Nuffield Health is #1 in the private sector, operating 109 private clubs with a swimming pool.
■ Leisure trust GLL leads the way in the public sector, with 142 centres with a pool. Everyone Active (SLM) is a close second place.
■ Places Leisure and Serco Leisure are the only top-ranking operators to have added five or more sites with a swimming pool in the last 12 months, logging 10 and nine, respectively.
■ Trusts dominate in the public sector, managing 49% of all UK pools; in Scotland, the figure is 67%.
■ In the 12 months to 31 March 2025, the average public sector pay-per-swim fee increased by 3.8% to £5.80.
7 of the 10
Local authorities with the biggest declines in pool space have higher than average indices of deprivation, risking an exacerbation of health inequalities
82% of children with high family affluence can swim, dropping to just
39% of children with low family affluence
Swimming contributes
£2.4bn
of social value to the UK economy every year, primarily through the prevention of 80,000 cases of ill health
YEARS
2019
2022
2023
2024
2025
% vs 2024
Total number of sites with pools
3,170
3,008
2,955
2,896
2,882
-0.5%
Total number of pools
4,559
4,386
4,351
4,272
4,257
-0.4%
Public centres with pools
1,702
1,664
1,646
1,613
1,603
-0.6%
Private clubs with pools
1,468
1,344
1,309
1,283
1,279
-0.3%
NO DATA FOR 2020 & 2021 DUE TO COVID19
Public centres
1,603
Pools
2,646
Openings
9
Closures
16
Private clubs
1,279
Pools
1,611
Openings
7
Closures
13