While the majority of Germans use technology for health-related purposes in some way, this is largely driven by administrative tasks, such as booking doctor’s appointments online. However, clearly perceived benefits can drive engagement with health tracking, with particular engagement among younger Germans, exemplified by 47% of women under 34 tracking their hormonal cycle.
Yet, trust remains a central hurdle, including with innovations such as AI. Consumers are cautious of AI-driven tools, often questioning the reliability of advice and expressing concerns regarding data privacy. The challenge is about proving value and ensuring transparency, while mitigating perceived pressures of over-optimisation.
Many Germans aspire to improve their health, but adoption of digital tools designed to support in this regard lags behind, presenting significant room for growth. Demonstrate how health tech can holistically support consumers’ health, spanning priorities across fitness, sleep, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Usage and interest in technology-enabled health and fitness activities
- Health and fitness information sources used
- Health and fitness improvement priorities and barriers
- Attitudes and behaviours towards fitness and health tech, including data privacy concerns and the perception of health advice provided by AI
Health and fitness technology has significant growth potential. Demonstrate holistic health benefits and mitigate concerns about data privacy and over-optimisation.
Jan Urbanek, Principal Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report examines consumer behaviours and attitudes regarding health and fitness technology within the broader context of consumer electronics. The scope includes the use of wearable technology as well as digital health services, including mobile apps.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Embrace health tech holistically
- Close the gap between health ambitions and app adoption through holistic support
- Expand women’s health tech beyond fertility
- Expand hormonal tracking into holistic wellbeing tools
- Unlock the potential of AI
- Build credibility with AI-driven coaching that adapts to user needs
- Leverage AI to ease mental health cost barriers
- AI-driven therapy tools provide mental health support for diverse needs
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THE CONSUMER
- Usage of and interest in technology-enabled health and fitness activities
- Administrative tasks dominate health tech engagement
- Graph 1: technology-enabled health and fitness activities realised in the last 12 months, 2025
- Integrate lifestyle tracking with healthcare services to overcome scepticism
- Wearables show clear potential to expand reach and engagement
- Graph 2: tracked health data using a wearable device, 2025
- Hormonal tracking is established among younger women but drops sharply with age
- Graph 3: tracked hormonal cycle, 2025
- Hormonal cycle tracking is established among younger women
- High engagement in activities related to fitness and health technology is led by Gen Z and owners of smart wearables
- Graph 4: repertoire of activities related to health and fitness technology, by generation, 2025
- Sources of health and fitness information
- Professionals and peers are top sources of health information
- Graph 5: sources used when looking for health or fitness information in the last 12 months, by gender, 2025
- Graph 6: sources used when looking for health or fitness information in the last 12 months, 2025
- Leverage peer networks and in-depth content to reach women, and engage men through AI tools and professional institutions
- Generational divide in health and fitness information sources
- Graph 7: sources used when looking for health or fitness information in the last 12 months, by generation, 2025
- Promote health and fitness technology through peer networks and medical experts
- Health and fitness improvement priorities and barriers
- Market health tech beyond fitness benefits
- Graph 8: health improvement priorities (any rank up to three), 2025
- Health priorities differ by gender and age
- Graph 9: health improvement priorities (any rank up to three), by gender and age, 2025
- Fitness and weight drive demand, but nuances need tailored tools
- Tackle financial strain and motivation to drive health tech adoption
- Overcome motivation and cost barriers with added-value health tech
- Attitudes & behaviours towards health and fitness technology
- Consumers remain cautious of AI and digital health
- Graph 10: selected perceptions on health and fitness technology, 2025
- Win over sceptical consumers by reframing AI as a health companion
- Gen Z and Millennials show more trust in wearables’ health data than older generations
- Graph 11: attitudes towards health technology, by generation, 2025
- Encourage consumer trust in wearables
- Financially stable, full-time working parents are the group most confident in acting on wearable data
- Position wearables as trusted health tools for financially stable parents
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INNOVATION
- Brands are turning static fitness plans into AI-powered daily coaching
- The new generation of smartwatches
- AI turns the gym member journey into a personalised, data-driven experience
- AI can create smarter workouts and streamlined gyms
- Biomarker tracking moves beyond fitness toward holistic wellbeing
- Garmin’s Index Sleep Monitor adds skin temperature for women’s cycle insights alongside sleep and recovery tracking
- Hands-free wearables turnyoung Germans’ workouts into creator content
- Insta360 collaborates with influencers to showcase products in action
- Strategic tie-ins push wearables into gyms, glucose monitoring and reproductive health
- Incentive-driven health tech links fitness tracking to tangible rewards
- Kitchen-to-wrist integrations make healthy routines easier to follow
- Pulsetto taps into wellbeing technology with neuromodulation health devices
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MARKET DRIVERS
- Device ownership
- German consumers favour lifestyle tech over health-first devices
- Graph 12: technology devices personally owned, 2025
- Samsung and Apple dominate Germany’s smartphone and smartwatch markets
- Graph 13: brands of smartwatches owned, 2024
- Graph 14: brand of smartphone owned, 2025
- Financial confidence
- Consumers’ financial confidence remains fragile
- Regulatory and legislative changes
- New EU directives affect German wearables’ design, repairability and data access…
- …as well as wearable interoperability, cybersecurity and sustainability claims
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and generations
- Abbreviations
- Generations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- CHAID analysis – methodology
- CHAID analysis
- A note on language
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