UK POOL STOCK
OPENINGS & CLOSURES
TOTAL MARKET
TOTAL MARKET
PUBLIC SECTOR 2025
UK POOL STOCK
SCOTLAND
Public centres
Pools
Openings
Closures
1,603 2,646 9
16
333 Sites 457 Swimming pools
NORTHERN IRELAND
PRIVATE SECTOR 2025
54 Sites 95 Swimming pools
Private clubs
Pools
Openings
Closures
ENGLAND
1,279 1,611
7
13
2,321 Sites 3,471 Swimming pools
In the private sector, seven new pool openings in the 12 months to 31 March 2025 equalled the previous high of 2020. Pool closures are also down compared to last year (13 closures, compared to 25 last year). Nevertheless, we are still witnessing the same trend in the private sector as in the public sector, with more pools closing than opening.
This year, across the public sector, there have been 16 closures of sites with pools and only nine openings. Unfortunately this is becoming the norm, with more pools closing than opening each year. Indeed, since 2013 – the first year Leisure DB monitored pool closures – every year bar 2022 we have seen more public centres with pools close than open. The worst differential was in 2020: 46 closures vs 17 openings.
WALES
174 Sites 234 Swimming pools
LONDON
Total new openings: Since 1 April 2024
289 Sites 442 Swimming pools
TOTAL OPENINGS: 16
5
Private clubs
Public centres
4
3
2
1
Note: Readers may notice a discrepancy between reported total pool numbers versus what one might assume from reported closures and openings. There are a few factors at play here. First, a number of pools move in and out of public access, both in the public and private sector. You could, for example, have a local authority pool that hands back management to the host school, which then decides not to continue with pay-and-play swimming – i.e. the pool becomes for school use only. In this scenario, the pool would no longer be counted by this report, but would not appear in the openings/closures data.
Similarly, if a hotel with a pool previously only for guest use only opened up a membership scheme to the local community, it could appear in the report without being detected in openings/closures. Leisure DB also regularly picks up a small number of pools that weren’t previously listed on its database, but that aren’t new openings. This number is not significant, but it nevertheless contributes to the discrepancy as we continue to push for the most comprehensive data set possible for this market.
0
April 24 May 24 June 24 July 24 Aug 24 Sept 24 Oct 24 Nov 24 Dec 24 Jan 25
Feb 25 March 25
Total closures: Since 1 April 2024
TOTAL CLOSURES: 29
10
Private clubs
Public centres
8
6
4
2
0
April 24 May 24 June 24 July 24 Aug 24 Sept 24 Oct 24 Nov 24 Dec 24 Jan 25 Feb 25 March 25
44
45
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2025
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
44
45
STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2025
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