China's Online Sportswear Sales Hit CN¥ 168.3B in 2025

Online sales of sportswear in China grew 12.0% to CN¥ 168.3 billion in 2025, according to Moojing Market Intelligence, as sports apparel rose 17.3% to CN¥ 62.5 billion and sports footwear rose 9.2% to CN¥ 105.8 billion. Shoes grew on volume at lower prices, while clothing grew on both volume and price, and in both the most expensive tier, above CN¥ 1,000, gained share.

Key figures

• CN¥ 168.3 billion: online sales of sports apparel and footwear in 2025, up 12.0% on 2024
• +17.3%: sports apparel, to CN¥ 62.5 billion, on 11.9% more units and a 4.9% higher average price
• +9.2%: sports footwear, to CN¥ 105.8 billion, on 14.8% more units and a 4.9% lower average price
• +30.5%: sports apparel priced above CN¥ 1,000, to CN¥ 10.9 billion, or 17.3% of apparel sales in 2025, up from 15.6%
• +10.5%: growth in January to April 2026 on the same months of 2025, with apparel up 30.7% and footwear level

Method and scope: observed online sales of sports apparel and sports footwear on three of China's largest online marketplaces, 2025 against 2024, and January to April 2026 against the same months of 2025, from Moojing Market Intelligence. The figures are like for like: a resale category for authenticated sneakers that one marketplace added to its sports footwear range in 2025 is left out of both years. Outdoor clothing and outdoor footwear, which the marketplaces list separately, are not included. This is online sales only, not the total market.

How big is China's online sportswear market?#

China's online sportswear market reached CN¥ 168.3 billion in 2025. Footwear is the larger part, at CN¥ 105.8 billion, but apparel grew faster and lifted its share of the total from 35.5% to 37.1%.

Exhibit 1. Source: Moojing Market Intelligence, observed online sales on three of China's largest online marketplaces, like for like. Not the total market.

Growth continued into 2026. Online sportswear sales in January to April 2026 were CN¥ 55.0 billion, 10.5% higher than in the same months of 2025. Apparel and footwear moved apart, with apparel up 30.7% and footwear level with a year earlier.

Where did sports shoe growth come from in 2025?#

Shoppers bought 14.8% more pairs of sports shoes online in 2025, while the average price fell 4.9%, from CN¥ 303.6 to CN¥ 288.6, so the value of the category grew more slowly than its volume. Growth was fastest at the cheap end, where shoes under CN¥ 100 grew 53.1% and shoes between CN¥ 100 and CN¥ 300 grew by about 12%. The CN¥ 600 to CN¥ 800 range, which made up 15.7% of footwear sales in 2024, fell to 13.7% in 2025.

The top of the market grew as well. Shoes priced above CN¥ 1,000 grew 20.6% to CN¥ 9.1 billion and took 8.6% of footwear sales, up from 7.8%. With the cheapest shoes growing fastest, we believe this shows footwear sales spreading towards both ends of the price range at once, as the bands between CN¥ 300 and CN¥ 1,000 lost share.

Exhibit 2. Source: Moojing Market Intelligence, observed online sales of sports footwear on three of China's largest online marketplaces, 2025 against 2024, by price per item, like for like. Not the total market.

Running shoes are the largest single type of sports shoe, at CN¥ 37.7 billion in 2025, or 35.6% of footwear sales, and they grew 16.1%, faster than the category as a whole.

Which sports apparel grew fastest?#

Sports apparel grew on both volume and price in 2025, with 11.9% more items sold at an average price 4.9% higher, CN¥ 172.8 against CN¥ 164.8. Outerwear grew fastest of the four largest categories, with sports jackets and coats up 23.2% and sports down jackets up 22.4%, while sports trousers, the largest at CN¥ 13.7 billion, grew 16.9%.

Exhibit 3. Source: Moojing Market Intelligence, observed online sales of sports apparel on three of China's largest online marketplaces, the four largest categories, 2025 against 2024. Not the total market.

The higher average price went with a shift in sales towards dearer items, led by the top of the range. Apparel priced above CN¥ 1,000 grew 30.5% to CN¥ 10.9 billion and rose from 15.6% to 17.3% of apparel sales. Items priced between CN¥ 100 and CN¥ 200 sold almost exactly as much as a year earlier, so their share fell from 19.1% to 16.3%.

What does this mean for sportswear brands in China?#

Footwear and apparel grew in different ways in 2025. In footwear, volume grew faster than value, and sales gathered at the two ends of the price range, under CN¥ 300 and above CN¥ 1,000. We believe that makes the middle of the range, between CN¥ 300 and CN¥ 1,000, the harder place for a brand to grow its revenue. In apparel, sales moved towards dearer items, and among the largest categories the fastest growth was in sports jackets, coats and down jackets.

Earlier editions#

This is the 2025 edition of our coverage of China's sportswear market. Earlier editions measured different periods and, in some cases, a different set of marketplaces, so their figures are not comparable with the ones above. They covered the premium shift in sportswear prices in 2022 and 2023, retro sneakers and price tiers in 2023, sportswear and outdoor footwear in Q1 2024 and positioning, channel breadth and women's sportswear in 2023. For outdoor clothing and footwear, which this edition leaves out, see China's outdoor lifestyle market in 2026.