Global Rollerblading Statistics, Facts & Figures for 2024

Rollerblading and inline skating first came into mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 90s and has dipped in and out of favor ever since as both a competitive and recreational sport enjoyed by many around the world. But just how popular is rollerblading in 2024? What are the health benefits of skating? And how has global interest in the sport changed overtime?

To find out, we conducted a survey of 2,000 people, analyzed millions of online searches and took a look at the most recent research, facts and figures on the topic of rollerblading in 2024.

Rollerblading Statistics: A Swift Glide Through

Get your skates on and buckle up for a speedy run through all of the latest rollerblading and inline skating statistics of 2024.

• More than a quarter of the population (26.8%) rollerbladed as children.
• And 1 in 10 UK adults rollerbladed in childhood and continued to do so in adulthood!
• In childhood, girls are more likely to rollerblade than boys. However in adulthood, it’s actually men who skate more than women!
• 2020 and 2021 saw a significant increase in the number of women in England participating in roller sports.
• Rollerskating participation rates in the USA increased for the first time in a decade in 2020 and 2021.
• Google searches conducted in India reveal that that rollerblading has increased in popularity every year since 2015.
• Global online searches for roller blades and inline skates peaked during 2020 and 2021, beginning just as the first coronavirus national lockdowns were announced.
• One hour of inline skating burns an average of 1002 calories!

Rollerblading Popularity in 2024 

Roller blading is a hugely popular sport amongst both adults and children worldwide. From skating to and from the office on a daily basis, to spending an evening at the local skatepark with friends or even taking part in official competitions in the sports. But just how popular are roller blading and inline skating in 2024?

To find out more about the popularity of inline skating, in January 2024 we used the market research company Censuswide to survey a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults, asking them the following question:

When, if ever, have you taken part in rollerblading?

• As a child
• As both a child and an adult
• Only as an adult
• Never, but I would like to
• Never, and I have no desire to

The results found:

• As of 2024, nearly 1 in 5 UK adults (19.1%) have participated in rollerblading!
• More than a quarter of people rollerbladed as children (26.8%).
• And an additional 11% say they rollerbladed as children and continued to do so as adults. That’s over 1 in every 10 people!
• What’s more, an impressive 8% of people in the UK participated in rollerblading as adults!
• Believe it or not, our survey also found that more than half of the UK population (54.1%) have never given rollerblading a go!
• And sadly - 46.9% of people say they have no desire to.
• Whilst 7.2% say although they’ve not tried rollerblading, they would like to give it a go at some point.

Rollerblading and Gender: Are Men or Women more Likely to Participate?

As of 2024, who’s more likely to get their skates on and experience the thrill of rollerblading? Men or women? And in childhood, was it boys or girls who skated the most? To find out, we asked our survey participants which gender they identify as.

• In childhood, girls are more likely to rollerblade than men (30% vs 23%).
• However, men are slightly more likely than women to have skated as a child and continue to do so as an adult (13% vs 9%)
• Almost twice as many men than women have given rollerblading a go in adulthood (11.5% vs 4.5%)

Global Rollerblading Popularity Overtime

It’s clear that rollerblading and inline skating are much loved across the age groups. But just how has the sport’s popularity changed over time? Is it still taking the world by storm like it did in the 80s? Or is it instead slowly skating its way out of fashion? To find out, we conducted an analysis of the terms “roller blades” and “inline skates” from 2015 to 2024 using the keyword analysis tool Keyword Finder.

Our analysis found that:

• Global online searches for the terms ‘roller blades’ and ‘inline skates’ increased from just 3 million in 2016 to a peak of 8.8 million in 2020 and 8.1 million in 2021. This was during the height of the coronavirus pandemic and numerous national lockdowns.
• However since then, global searches appear to be returning to a steadier level, decreasing to a total of 6.3 million searches in 2022.
• We see a very similar pattern of online interest when we look at countries such as the USA and UK. Whilst search interest in India has increased steadily year-on-year since 2016, almost catching up with the UK’s search volumes in 2022.
• Interestingly though, when we go further back in time, we can see that demand for roller blades and skates has actually been on a downward trajectory since 2004.
• Searches then peaked significantly in May 2020, just 2 months after the first national lockdowns were announced in many countries worldwide, including the US, UK and India.
• Since then, search interest appears to its normal level, as you can see on the graph below.

Rollerblading Participation in England

It seems that interest in buying a pair of rollerskates tends to have been pretty steady over the last few decades. But how about actual participation in the sport?

To find out just how many people skate on a regular basis*, we took a look at data from Sport England. The graph below shows participation rates in the sport between 2015 and 2021.

*The graph shows roller sports participation rates in general (not specific to rollerblading) in the 28 days leading up to each participant being asked about the activity.

The graph above shows roller sport participation rates in England between 2015 and 2021, and reveals:

• 2020 and 2021 saw a marked increase in the number of females participating in roller sports, as an average of 76% more females took part in these sports during this time period.
• The number of males taking part in roller sports in England also increased, but not nearly as much as that of females.
• Participation rates were higher in 2020/21 than they had been during any of the previous 6 years.

Rollerblading Participation in The USA

In the USA on the other hand, interest in roller skating doesn’t seem to have increased quite as much as in England. Research into participation in the sport has found:

• he number of participants using inline skates steadily fell year on year between 2010 and 2019 - from 8.13 million participants to just 4.82 million participants.
• However, the graph does show an increase in inline skating participation in 2020 and 2021. That’s the first increase in over a decade!

How Many Calories Does Roller Blading Burn?

Did you know, inline skating at a fast pace can burn 881 calories per hour!

Inline skating and roller blading are great activities for those looking to improve their fitness levels or lose some weight. Being a cardiovascular sport which involves the whole body, skating can help to increase core strength and improve overall stability and coordination. But just how many calories does roller blading burn for the average person?

The table below shows the average number of calories burned per hour of participation in both rollerblading and inline skating at different intensities.

Due to the larger diameter of their wheels, inline skates are often able to provide a smoother and faster ride, particularly through uneven terrain. Therefore, we’ve only included average calorie expenditures for rides exceeding 14.4 km/h (9.0 mph) for inline skating.

As the table shows:

• When skating at a steady pace, roller blading and inline skating burn a similar amount of calories - namely between 500-540 kcals per hour.
• However, when skating at a moderate or fast pace, inline skating can burn between 700-800 kcal an hour.
• And for those brave enough to skate at maximum effort, a calorie burn of around 1,002 per hour can be expected - pretty impressive if you ask us!

We hope this roundup of the latest rollerblading and inline skating statistics, facts and figures for 2024 has been as interesting for you as it has been for us! If you’re feeling inspired to try a pair of skates yourself, you can check them out here.

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