Global demographic, performance and participation trends in raw IPF powerlifting

Raw International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) powerlifting has grown rapidly over the past decade, yet little is known about how that growth has unfolded across countries, demographic groups, athlete careers, and performance standards. Using the OpenPowerlifting database, we analysed IPF-sanctioned, drug-tested, raw full-power competition results from 2012 to 2025. After filtering for valid male and female entries with complete meet performances, the final dataset comprised 126,509 lifters across 8601 competitions. Participation increased approximately 23-fold over the study period, with a temporary disruption in 2020 and recovery to above pre-pandemic levels by 2024. The sport remained male-dominated, although female participation increased over time, and participation was heavily concentrated geographically, particularly in the United States. Despite this rapid expansion, the demographic profile of competitors changed relatively little: lifters remained predominantly young adults, and body mass distributions were broadly stable. Competitive careers were typically short, with a median of two competitions per lifter and nearly half of all athletes competing only once. Nonetheless, performance standards improved across the period, particularly among women, with increases in median totals and Goodlift scores. These findings suggest that raw IPF powerlifting has evolved from a niche activity into a rapidly expanding international sport characterised by high entry, limited retention, and rising competitive standards. This study provides a population-level foundation for understanding the development and future trajectory of competitive powerlifting.