Nike enables hundreds of millions of people worldwide to engage in physical activities

Obesity and being overweight, a major risk for chronic diseases, are preventable with a healthy lifestyle. However, global obesity rates have almost tripled from 1975 to 2016¹. The WHO found that 1 in 4 adults and 3 in 4 adolescents fall short of its global physical activity recommendations^2;p6. Per a 2013 study, sedentary lifestyles cost an annual $67.5 billion in healthcare and productivity losses, easily avoidable by an hour of exercise per day³. Regular physical activity–be it walking, running, exercise, or sports–could improve physical and mental health⁴ and increase life expectancy by 0.4 to 6.9 years⁵.

An average person spends only 180 days or 0.69% of their lifetime on physical fitness⁶. Appropriate athletic footwear enables physical activity, prevents injuries, provides motivation, and enhances performance⁷.

As a sports industry pioneer, Nike first addressed the physical inactivity epidemic in the 1970s, fueling the US jogging boom where 25 million Americans embraced running and jogging⁸. In an era where running was for ‘elite’ athletes, Nike introduced running shoes for everyday people interested in fitness⁹. Today, Nike aims to ‘bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world’⁹. The company considers ‘every person with a body, an athlete’⁹.

In FY2023, the company had a revenue of $51.2 billion, of which 43% was from the US and 57% outside the US^15;p2,3,28. Further, 68% of Nike brand revenue was from footwear, 28% was from apparel, 3.5% from equipment, and 0.5% from global division brands^15;p32.

As the largest athletic footwear brand, Nike owned a global market share of 38.23% as of 2022¹⁰. Every year, the company sells about 780 million pairs of shoes¹¹. In 2023, the company had 1,032 retail stores globally¹⁴. In Feb 2022 alone, the company had 98 million visitors to its website¹⁰.

Nike has played a key role in shaping the global ‘fitness culture’ by taking a holistic approach to tackling physical inactivity.