sports brands - biggest sportswear brands in the world

Top 10 Biggest Sportswear Brands in the World

Sports brands or, more precisely, sportswear brands have been booming for quite some time now. More and more people all over the world are joining in on the trend for more exercise and sports in their daily lives. An unsurprising development considering an active lifestyle has proven beneficial to your health and life expectancy. In order to exercise you need the right gear to support you during your hopefully regular dose of sporting activity and make you feel as comfortable as possible.

Take all these facts together and you won’t find it surprising that the global sportswear market has steadily grown over the last few decades and is now generating more than $100 billion in revenues put together. But which of the clothing sports brands are the biggest? There are two sportswear brands in particular that have been dominating the market for around three whole decades now. And while these two brands are still comfortable in the lead, there are quite a number of sports brands that have emerged fairly recently and are now also part of the global Top 10 sportswear brands.

Check out our updated Top 10 ranking of the 10 biggest sportswear brands in the world by generated worldwide sales. Did you, too, contribute to these sales numbers recently?

Note: This Top 10 ranking lists the Top 10 sportswear brands in the world, excluding brands that mainly focus on sporting goods and sports equipment. There is a separate Top 10 ranking of the 10 largest sporting goods brands.


The 10 Biggest Sportswear Brands in the World 2023

sports brands - biggest sportswear brands in the world


1. Nike

nike - biggest sports brand in the world

Nike remains the biggest sportswear brand in the world. With a revenue nearing $50 billion now, the Oregon-based American company has been and still is quite comfortably in the lead within the global sportswear market. Shoes still represent the main product line of Nike, but they are far from the only ones at this point.


2. Adidas

The second giant in the global sportswear market is Adidas, a company founded by Adolf Dassler (hence the name). Like arch competitor Nike, the German corporation mainly produces shoes for all kinds of sporting activities but is also a more general sports brand at this point and active in many other fields of the world of sports and daily lifestyle.


3. Puma

puma - third of the biggest sports brands in the world

Puma was founded by Rudolf Dassler, the brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler. The brothers originally founded and led their company. After a major argument, they then decided to part ways and each founded their own respective company. Puma is based in the same small Bavarian town as Adidas. While it is smaller than its brotherly company, it still holds a strong third place in the global sportswear market.


4. Lululemon Athletica

Lululemon Athletica is proof that you don’t have to primarily sell shoes to make it on the sportswear brands market. The Canadian company was founded in 1998 and has now established itself as the global leader and manufacturer of Yoga and fitness apparel. Given the increasing popularity of Yoga and fitness, it is no wonder that Lululemon finds itself in the Top 10 sportswear brands ranking.


5. Under Armour

under armour - fourth of the biggest sports brands worldwide

Like most sports brands, Under Armour is also mainly, but not exclusively, offering shoes to its customers. The American company is fairly new, having been founded only in the mid-90s. But the Baltimore-based sportswear brand has been quite ambitious and is rising mighty fast in the world of footwear and sporting apparel.


6. Jordan Brand

The Jordan Brand is inspired by and named after NBA Hall of Famer and legend Michael Jordan, who still gets a share of every Jordan shoe sold. The Jordan Brand is first and foremost globally known for its “Air Jordan” basketball shoe line with new releases every year. Nike originally planned to simply release a single shoe line with Jordan in 1984, but it proved so popular that the company made an entire brand out of it.


7. New Balance

new balance - top 5 sportswear brands in the world

New Balance is yet another sportswear brand and company that is mainly focusing on footwear. Originally founded in 1906 as a manufacturer of arch support, Boston-based New Balance is now selling its own shoes (alongside other sports lifestyle clothing) and has been able to establish itself worldwide.


8. Reebok

The Top 10 of the biggest sportswear brands in the world are closed off by another shoe brand. While Reebok has extended its product portfolio to sports apparel, the shoe market remains the main target for the Boston-based company. Reebok is owned by the brand management company Authentic Brands Group since 2022.


9. Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear is another company in the Top 10 global sportswear brand ranking that does not primarily sell shoes. The American company focuses on outerwear which includes special shoes (e.g. for hiking), but also pretty much all clothing items within the general outdoor sportswear branch. The Oregon-based company exists since 1938 and is hence considerably older than Nike even, which is based in the same town.


10. Asics

Asics is another shoe company featured in the Top 10 sportswear brands. The Japanese sportswear brand and company, founded in 1949 and based in the city of Kobe, is particularly known for its comfortable running shoes. Aside from shoes, Asics also sells gymnastic and fitness apparel.



The 10 Biggest Sportswear Brands in the World 2023

(as of January 2023)

Top 10 Biggest Sportswear Brands in the World:
1. NIKE
Worldwide sportswear sales: $49.1 billion
2. ADIDAS
Worldwide sportswear sales: $24.2 billion
3. PUMA
Worldwide sportswear sales: $8.5 billion
4. LULULEMON ATHLETICA
Worldwide sportswear sales: $8.0 billion
5. UNDER ARMOUR
Worldwide sportswear sales: $5.8 billion
6. JORDAN BRAND
Worldwide sportswear sales: $5.0 billion
7. NEW BALANCE
Worldwide sportswear sales: $4.5 billion
8. REEBOK
Worldwide sportswear sales: $3.7 billion
9. COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR
Worldwide sportswear sales: $3.4 billion
10. ASICS
Worldwide sportswear sales: $3.3 billion

Ranking of the top 10 sportswear brands based on worldwide 2022 sportswear sales.


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