Protein has gone from a gym-bag staple to a mainstream grocery decision. The global protein powder market sits at roughly USD 19 billion in 2025 and is on track for USD 33.4 billion by 2035, and the people buying it now look very different from the bodybuilders of a decade ago. Here are 43 sourced statistics on the protein powder and sports nutrition market in 2026, covering market size, the whey-versus-plant split, who is actually drinking it, and where the money is moving.
Key protein powder statistics (the short version)
- The global protein powder market was valued at USD 19 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach USD 33.4 billion by 2035 at a 5.8% CAGR. (GM Insights)
- Protein powder is the largest product segment of the protein supplements market at 48.8% revenue share in 2025. (Grand View Research)
- 71% of Americans are trying to consume protein in 2025, up from 59% in 2022. (IFIC)
- Women now make up 51% of consumers seeking to boost their protein intake, outnumbering men globally for the first time. (Euromonitor International)
- Animal-based proteins still hold a 73% share of protein supplements, even as plant-based grows faster. (Mordor Intelligence)
- Online retail is the largest sales channel at 37% to 38% of protein purchases, and the fastest growing. (Mordor Intelligence)
- The U.S. online vitamin and supplement market is worth about USD 25.6 billion in 2025, and adult supplement use has climbed from 57.6% in 2018 to 75% by 2024. (IBISWorld)
- The creatine supplement market is one of the fastest movers, growing from USD 1.66 billion in 2025 to USD 1.85 billion in 2026. (The Business Research Company)
- A "good source of protein" is now the number one way Americans define healthy food (38%), ranking first for the first time. (IFIC)
- Flavored protein powder accounts for 69.4% of the market, a sign that taste now drives the category. (GM Insights)
Protein powder market size and growth
Estimates vary by research firm and by how each draws the category line (protein powder alone versus all protein supplements), but every major forecast points the same way: steady billions, growing every year.
The protein powder market was worth USD 19 billion in 2025. It is projected to reach USD 20.1 billion in 2026 and USD 33.4 billion by 2035, a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% from 2026 to 2035. (GM Insights)
Protein powder is the biggest slice of the supplements pie. It led the protein supplements market with the largest product share at 48.8% in 2025, ahead of bars, ready-to-drink shakes, and other formats. (Grand View Research)
The broader protein supplements market reached USD 29.78 billion in 2025. Grand View Research expects it to climb to USD 31.86 billion in 2026 and USD 63.22 billion by 2033, a 10.3% CAGR. (Grand View Research)
A second forecast puts protein supplements at USD 28.12 billion in 2025. Mordor Intelligence projects it reaching USD 41.04 billion by 2030 at a 7.85% CAGR, and in a separate 2026 release pegged forward growth at 7.7% through 2031. (Mordor Intelligence)
The U.S. is the single largest national market, with Grand View Research estimating the country's protein supplements market at roughly USD 9.80 billion. (Grand View Research)
Sports nutrition: the parent category
Protein powder sits inside the wider sports nutrition market (pre-workouts, recovery drinks, gels, and bars), which is bigger and growing faster.
Global sports nutrition is projected at USD 77.35 billion in 2026. Grand View Research expects it to reach USD 138.48 billion by 2033, an 8.7% CAGR. (Grand View Research)
Mordor Intelligence forecasts the category crossing USD 53.42 billion by 2031 at an 8.18% CAGR, reflecting how research firms differ on category boundaries. (Mordor Intelligence)
North America dominated sports nutrition with a 47.7% revenue share in 2025, helped by an established fitness culture and high household spending. (Grand View Research)
Whey versus plant: the protein-source split
The whey-versus-plant debate plays out on every supplement shelf. Whey still wins on share, but plant is the faster grower.
Animal-based proteins hold roughly 73% of the protein supplements market as of 2024, with whey the clear favorite for its complete amino acid profile. (Mordor Intelligence)
Grand View Research puts animal-based at 59.9% of protein supplement revenue in 2025, a slightly different cut of the same trend. (Grand View Research)
In protein powder specifically, the animal-based source was worth USD 12.3 billion in 2025, around two-thirds of the powder market. (GM Insights)
Plant-based protein is growing faster at an 8.67% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, pushed by environmental concerns and the rise of flexitarian eating. (Mordor Intelligence)
Among whey types, concentrate (WPC) leads with a 40.5% share in 2025. Isolate (WPI) is the faster-growing form at an 8.0% CAGR through 2033 as shoppers reach for lower-lactose, higher-purity options. (Grand View Research)
The global whey protein market is forecast to reach USD 17.5 billion by 2033 at a 7.5% CAGR. (Grand View Research)
Format wars: powder, shakes, and bars
Powder is still the core format, but convenience is reshaping the category. Ready-to-drink shakes are eating share.
Ready-to-drink (RTD) protein beverages are growing at a 9.34% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, outpacing both powders and bars. (Mordor Intelligence)
The RTD protein beverage market was valued at USD 1.96 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 3.06 billion by 2031 at a 7.70% CAGR. (Mordor Intelligence)
Animal-based proteins make up 68.4% of the RTD protein market, mirroring the whey dominance seen in powders. (Market.us)
Flavored protein powder accounts for 69.4% of the protein powder market in 2025. Plain, unflavored powder is now the minority, a clear sign that taste has become a primary purchase driver. (GM Insights)
Where people buy: online and DTC
The protein aisle has moved online. Direct-to-consumer brands and marketplaces now win share that big-box retail used to own outright.
Online retail is the largest protein supplements channel, holding a 37.04% share in 2024 (Mordor) and roughly 38% of the protein powder market in 2025 (GM Insights). It is also the fastest-growing channel. (Mordor Intelligence)
The U.S. online vitamin and supplement market alone is worth about USD 25.6 billion in 2025. Adult supplement use has risen from 57.6% in 2018 to 75% by 2024, and DTC brands have pulled share from traditional retail. (IBISWorld)
In sports nutrition overall, e-commerce is projected to grow at a 10.3% CAGR from 2026 to 2033, even though brick-and-mortar still moves the most volume today. (Grand View Research)
Who is buying protein in 2026
This is where the biggest shift has happened. Protein is no longer a young-man category, and the average shopper now treats it as everyday nutrition rather than a fitness add-on.
71% of Americans are trying to consume protein in 2025, up from 67% in 2023 and 59% in 2022. (IFIC)
23% of Americans followed a high-protein diet in 2025, making it the most-followed eating pattern for the third year running. That number was just 4% in 2018. (IFIC)
35% of Americans say they increased their protein intake in the last year. Protein awareness keeps climbing year over year. (IFIC)
"A good source of protein" is now the top way Americans define healthy food at 38%, up 8 points from 2022 and ranking first for the first time, ahead of "fresh" and "low in sugar." (IFIC)
46% of Americans say they regularly consume protein drinks and shakes. Powder and RTD have crossed firmly into mainstream habit. (ShelfTrend)
80% of consumers say they pay attention to protein in their diet, according to Innova Market Insights, a reach well beyond the gym crowd. (Innova Market Insights)
When choosing protein information sources, 29% of Americans trust a friend or family member first, followed by a healthcare professional (25%) and a health-focused website (24%). (IFIC)
The women's protein shift
Women shopping for protein used to be an afterthought for most brands. Not anymore.
Women now account for 51% of consumers seeking to boost their protein intake, outnumbering men globally for the first time, per Euromonitor International. (Euromonitor International)
Women's share of total protein consumption has risen to about 35%, and the female segment is projected to be the fastest-growing demographic from 2025 to 2032. (Coherent Market Insights)
The shift skews toward women over 30 and over 60 in Asia-Pacific and North America, plus North American teenage girls aged 15 to 19, the groups Euromonitor flagged as most motivated to add protein. (Euromonitor International)
If you are shopping in this segment, it helps to start from a vetted shortlist. Our roundups of the best protein powder brands and the best protein powder for women break down which formulas suit which goals, from lean-muscle support to everyday satiety.
Demographics by age and training
The classic protein buyer (young, male, lifting) still exists, just no longer as the whole market.
Athletes and bodybuilders are the largest single end-user group of protein powder at 28% in 2025. The remaining 72% is everyday consumers, casual exercisers, and older adults managing muscle and satiety. (GM Insights)
More than half of whey-protein buyers are under age 25, and only about 24% are 36 or older, according to a peer-reviewed consumer study. (Agricultural and Food Economics)
Roughly 28% of gym-goers have used protein powder, with usage far higher among men (42.7%) than women (3.2%) in one foundational gym survey, a gap that the newer market data shows is closing fast. (PubMed)
Among recreational gym-goers in one 2025 study, 75.6% used nutritional supplements, with protein and creatine the two most common. (PMC)
The pre-workout and creatine boom
Protein rarely sits alone in a shopping cart. The two products most often bought alongside it, pre-workout and creatine, are growing fast in their own right.
The pre-workout supplements market is valued at roughly USD 21 billion to USD 24 billion in 2026, with forecasts pointing to a 6% to 8.3% CAGR through the early 2030s. (Mordor Intelligence)
The creatine supplement market grows from USD 1.66 billion in 2025 to USD 1.85 billion in 2026, an 11.4% CAGR and one of the hottest corners of sports nutrition. (The Business Research Company)
Powdered creatine makes up 80.4% of the creatine market in 2025, and North America leads with a 40.8% share. (Grand View Research)
One Grand View Research forecast projects creatine supplements growing at a 26.2% CAGR from 2026 to 2033, among the fastest of any supplement category, as creatine moves from a strength niche into general wellness. (Grand View Research)
How shoppers are choosing protein brands
With the category this crowded, the hard part is no longer finding protein. It is choosing a brand you trust. Two themes drive that decision in 2026: clean labels and third-party testing.
The clean-label protein market is forecast to grow from USD 10.96 billion in 2026 to USD 17.43 billion by 2034 at an 8.3% CAGR, as shoppers reward shorter ingredient lists. (Intel Market Research)
40% of consumers, especially Gen X and Boomers, say they prioritize natural, whole-food protein sources. Transparency in sourcing has become a real purchase driver, not a marketing line. (Innova Market Insights)
A Clean Label Project study found nearly half of top-selling protein powders exceeded safety thresholds for heavy-metal contamination. That finding is a big reason shoppers now look for NSF or third-party testing badges before buying. (Clean Label Project)
The top five protein powder companies held a combined 37.5% market share in 2025, with Glanbia plc leading at 12.5%. The rest of the market is a long tail of DTC brands competing on formula and trust. (GM Insights)
Because the field is so fragmented, most buyers start from a shortlist rather than the open aisle. For protein specifically, see the best protein powder brands. And if your training routine includes a pre-lift boost, the best pre-workout brands and the best pre-workout for women cover the formulas worth your money.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the protein powder market in 2026?
The global protein powder market is valued at about USD 20.1 billion in 2026, up from USD 19 billion in 2025, according to GM Insights. The broader protein supplements market, which includes bars and ready-to-drink shakes, is closer to USD 31.86 billion in 2026 per Grand View Research.
Is whey or plant protein more popular?
Whey is still the clear leader. Animal-based proteins hold roughly 73% of the protein supplements market, and within powders the animal-based source was worth USD 12.3 billion in 2025. Plant-based protein is growing faster, at an 8.67% CAGR through 2030, but from a smaller base.
What percentage of Americans use protein powder or shakes?
About 46% of Americans say they regularly consume protein drinks and shakes, and 71% are actively trying to consume more protein in 2025, according to IFIC and survey data compiled by ShelfTrend.
Are more women buying protein now?
Yes. Women now account for 51% of consumers seeking to boost their protein intake, outnumbering men globally for the first time in 2025, per Euromonitor International. The female segment is also projected to be the fastest-growing protein demographic through 2032.
How fast is the creatine market growing?
The creatine supplement market is one of the fastest movers in sports nutrition, growing from USD 1.66 billion in 2025 to USD 1.85 billion in 2026, an 11.4% CAGR. Powdered creatine makes up about 80% of that market.
Where do most people buy protein powder?
Online. Online retail is the largest sales channel at 37% to 38% of protein purchases and the fastest growing, and the U.S. online vitamin and supplement market alone is now worth about USD 25.6 billion as more shoppers buy direct.
Why should I check for third-party testing?
Because a Clean Label Project study found nearly half of top-selling protein powders exceeded safety thresholds for heavy-metal contamination. Looking for NSF Certified for Sport or a third-party tested badge is the simplest way to screen for a cleaner product.