Information on data

Statistics on employment in sport show how many people work as employees or are self-employed workers in the sport sector. These statistics can be estimated according to 2 different international classifications.

One is the so-called  Vilnius definition, elaborated by the EU working group on sport and economics. It describes the statistical scope of sport by listing sport-related economic activities according to statistical classification of economic activities (NACE), regardless of someone’s occupation.

The other is outlined in the  ESSnet-culture report. Its scope includes all individuals working in a sport-related occupation according to the international standard classification of occupations (ISCO-08), regardless of the economic activity.

These two approaches are combined together in order to estimate the total sport employment as composed by both economic activities and occupations, recorded respectively in NACE rev.2 code 93.1 (sports activities) and/or ISCO-08 code 342 (sports and fitness workers).

Sport employment data come from the EU labour force survey. It provides information on workers' labour status and their socio-demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, and educational attainment (classified by the international standard classification of education, ISCED).

It should be noted that estimates for sport employment are obtained using a ‘conservative’ approach, which implies that some parts of employment in sport are not included. This is because it is difficult to determine the sports-related component of activities and occupations that are only partially sport-related. As such, they are excluded from the estimations.

Moreover, due to the lack of information on secondary sport-related jobs, they cannot be included in sport employment statistics. Only the main job of the individuals, who are surveyed, is considered.

Data on enterprises that are active in sport come from structural business statistics (SBS) and business demography (BD). In addition to these economic indicators on sport companies, data from the production of manufactured goods (Prodcom) provide information on the value (in euro) of sold production of sporting goods.

From SBS, indicators such as the number of enterprises, gross value added or turnover are available for enterprises active in the NACE group 93.1 (sports activities), NACE class 85.51 (sports and recreation education), and the NACE group 32.3 (manufacturing of sports goods).

Data from BD contain demography statistics, such as enterprise birth rates and enterprise survival rates for market-oriented active firms in the sector sports activities and amusement and recreation activities. This corresponds to the NACE code R93.

Data from Prodcom report the volume of industrial production, and the value of sold production by those businesses on national territory during the reference period. Prodcom statistics relate to products, not NACE activities, and are therefore not directly comparable to activity-based statistics, like SBS.

Statistics on international trade in sporting goods measure the value in euros of sporting goods traded between EU countries themselves (intra-EU trade) and between EU countries and non-EU countries (extra-EU trade). Such statistics give a picture of the weight of sport-related products in international trade and some idea of the impact of sport-related industries on the economy.

Data come from the international trade in goods statistics, which provides trade statistics for the EU, EFTA, and potential EU members.

Sport-related items in international trade are identified according to the harmonised systems (HS) classification.

They are grouped by sport discipline, or specific type of sport equipment and accessories. The following indicators are available for the import and export of sporting goods for selected partner countries or geo-economic areas:

• value of trade in thousands of euro
• percentage of total national trade
• percentage of total EU trade
• percentage of total sport trade

Statistics on sport participation help measure people's direct and indirect involvement in sport. They currently provide data on:

• practicing sport in terms of physical activity
• attendance at live sports events
• sport in cities, such as the number of swimming pools, and residents’ satisfaction with sport facilities

European health interview survey

The most recent data on engaging in sport and non-work-related physical activities come from the latest collection round of the European health interview survey (EHIS) module on physical activity. It was run in the EU countries in around 2019. The EHIS survey provides statistics on:

• engaging in sport, fitness, or recreational physical activities (known as aerobic sports), such as Nordic walking, brisk walking, ball games, jogging, cycling, swimming, aerobics, rowing, and badminton
• muscle-strengthening (for example resistance training), meaning exercise done specifically to improve or maintain the strength of the major muscle groups (meaning legs, back, shoulders, arms, etc.)
• commuting on foot
• commuting by bicycle

The distribution of the population engaging in physical activities is available for different breakdown variables, including age, sex, educational attainment, income quantile, and degree of urbanisation.

EU statistics on income and living conditions

Data on attendance at live sporting events come from the EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) ad hoc modules on social and cultural participation conducted throughout the EU and in some European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and candidate countries. They were conducted in 2006 and 2015 and refer to spectators at live sports events. Watching sport on TV was not included.

From 2022 information related to participation in cultural or sport activities have been included into the 6-yearly rolling module on ‘Quality of life’. Data collected in the 2022 module are expected to be published by the end of 2023

In both surveys, the frequency of attendance at live sporting events is broken down by age, sex, and education. EU-SILC also provides other social characteristics, including household type, income quintile, and degree of urbanisation.

Other sources

Data on sport and outdoor activities in terms of time devoted to them during a day are available from the 2000 and 2010 waves of the time use survey.

Data from the 2020 wave are expected to be released in 2024.

City statistics on sport in cities report the number of public swimming pools, while perception surveys enable us to assess the satisfaction of residents about the cities’ sport facilities.

Data refer to household spending on sporting goods and services. These statistics give an overview of household consumption patterns and assess the weight of private spending on sporting goods relative to total household expenditure. From 2010 onwards, data are compiled from the household budget survey (HBS), which takes place every 5 years

Since private spending is influenced by the price level, among other things, data on private expenditure on sporting goods and services can be completed with statistical information on the harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICP) of sporting goods and services.

The purpose of HICP statistics is to assess how prices of consumer goods and services purchased by households have changed over time. The European classification of individual consumption by purpose (ECOICOP) is the classification used to produce HICP, according to the 5-digit categories.

The European classification of individual consumption by purpose (ECOICOP) is the classification used to produce HICP, according to the 5-digit categories.