With close to 3.7 million private pools, France holds first place in the European market and ranks third worldwide. Yet reducing the European pool and spa landscape to its French neighbour would be a mistake. From one country to the next, climate constraints, consumer habits and regulations differ markedly, and the studies that try to put a figure on the continental market produce estimates that sit far apart. In the absence of a single reliable number, it is better to look at the main lines of force that emerge. They are, at least, fairly consistent.
Everywhere, water resources condition the future of the industry. According to some market analyses published this year, Spain and Italy have stepped up water-saving measures in the face of drought, going as far as limiting the refilling of existing pools or the building of new ones. On the other side of the Pyrenees, the Spanish federation ASOFAP and sector experts have mobilised in response to chronic water stress and volatile energy costs.
To answer these tensions, the profession relies on shared tools. The European standard NF EN 17645, published in September 2022 after work carried out with AFNOR, provides a method for assessing the environmental efficiency of private family pools and sets out a voluntary labelling scheme for equipment. It gives professionals a common language to talk about sobriety with their clients.
Spain, a market that is establishing itself
This context does not stop Spain from emerging as one of the most dynamic markets in Europe. The trade press attributes this movement largely to the gradual structuring of the industry and to the collective action led by ASOFAP. The country illustrates a reality found elsewhere too, that of a sector that gains weight when it manages to speak with one voice.
Smaller pools, better integrated
Another underlying trend is that the pool is becoming more compact. The 20th edition of the Pool and Spa Trophies, which drew a record of more than 410 entries, highlighted many projects under 10 m² or on a controlled budget of less than 20,000 euros. Submerged benches, ergonomic steps and low-consumption filtration sit alongside very refined design. According to figures presented on that occasion, the average pool surface has fallen from 42 m² before 1991 to 29 m² for recent projects.
The Trends Notebook produced by the agency Chlorosphère for Piscine Global points the same way. It mentions more compact pools, strong landscape integration, pool staging and more eco-responsible equipment. The pool is no longer simply placed in the garden, it becomes part of it.
This shift toward smaller surfaces also reflects a broader movement across European markets, which is explored further in our article to pool renovation and modern equipment on Poolbiz, where sustainability and space optimization go hand in hand.
Wellness gains ground
This is probably the clearest movement. A forward-looking study of the European market names spas and hot tubs as the segment expected to grow fastest through 2034, thanks to interest in hydrotherapy, a small footprint suited to urban gardens and the possibility of year-round use. Like any projection, it calls for the usual caution, but it matches what professionals see on the ground.
In France, the trade press describes a complementary market developing around the pool, with the sauna, the hammam, the cold plunge and the hot tub. It partly answers the shrinking of available space, with some mini pools combining several pieces of equipment. Hospitality plays its part as a showcase too, since the Nordic spa, built on the alternation of hot and cold, has become one of the most sought-after installations.
A customer base that is renewing itself
Democratisation continues. In France, 44% of owners of in-ground and fixed above-ground pools are employees, manual workers or farmers, which challenges the image of a product reserved for wealthy households. The market is also trying to win over younger buyers, the millennials, which forces it to rethink its offer, its prices and the way it sells.
What professionals can take from it
Sobriety, compactness, wellness and a broader customer base sketch a market that is less about the dream big pool and more about the well-designed, economical solution that fits into garden life. Piscine Global, from 17 to 20 November in Lyon, will be a chance to check on the stands how quickly these trends are reaching the catalogues.
