Strava’s year in sport: 1.8 billion uploads from 95 million athletes

Strava released its annual Year in Sport data report on Tuesday, revealing how the pandemic-era sports boom shows no signs of slowing. It also shows how extreme weather events impact athlete behavior across the globe.

In 2021, global activity rates on Strava continued to rise to new record levels, with over 37 million uploads per week, totaling 1.8 billion public uploads over the past 12 months. Though the gradual return of some in-person events and races in 2021 has been much-anticipated for athletes, demand for community and connection online remain at an all-time high.

This year’s 38 per cent increase in activity uploads follows 2020’s surge of 1.1 billion uploads (a 33 per cent increase vs. 2019). Strava welcomed 2 million new athletes per month to its global community, which collectively logged over 30 billion km this year. The pandemic-era sports boom isn’t slowing. Strava upload rates for all sports increased significantly, along with a notable surge in personal bests.

Almost 2 billion Strava uploads

● More than 1.8 billion activities were uploaded to Strava over the last 12 months.
● A 38 per cent  year over year increase in activities in 2021 builds on 2020’s sport’s surge.
● All sport types saw huge growth, with walking (2.0x) and hiking (1.7x) showing the
strongest continued year over year growth in 2021 alongside yoga and other indoor workouts.

Goal setting

● Athletes who set a goal for the New Year were 2 hours more active in January than those who didn’t.
● Half of all Group Challenge participants uploaded more activities in the 30 days after starting a challenge than in the 30 days prior.
● Since its launch in May, Strava’s revamped Maps tab has generated over 120 million suggested routes for cyclists, runners, and walkers to explore.
● Total club members across Strava grew by 37 percent on top of a large increase from last year.
● Over 189,000 new Clubs were created on Strava this year.
● More people than ever are uploading walks to Strava. This rise in popularity spans all age groups, genders and regions.
● Female runners and cyclists are 2.4x as likely to upload walks as males.
● Athletes who regularly upload walks record 2.5 to 4 hours per week.
● Cyclists and runners who walk are 16% more likely to still be active in six months than athletes who don’t.

Extreme weather and hazardous air quality impact athlete behavior around the globe

● During the Texas freeze and power crisis in February, there was a -57 per cent decrease in outdoor activities.
● During the heatwave in Oregon over the summer, outdoor activities dipped -23 per cent
● During the snowstorm in Madrid in January and the flooding in Nagano in August, indoor activities increased 55 per cent and 56 per cent respectively.

2021 Strava community totals at a glance

● Over 95 million total athletes.
● About 2 million new athletes join every month.
● 1.8 billion activity uploads in the last 12 months.
● 20 billion miles covered.
● 189 thousand Strava Clubs created.
● 9.6 billion Kudos given.