Contents
- Recreational sport participation statistics: adult participation across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Canada
- Recreational sport participation statistics by age, sex, disability, and deprivation
- Recreational sport participation statistics for children and young people
- Recreational sport participation: sports adults choose
- Recreational sport participation: frequency and club membership
- Benefits and barriers related to recreational sport participation
- Sources
Recreational sport participation statistics: adult participation across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Canada
Participation estimates offer a useful starting point, but their definitions and reference periods matter. In Scotland, 49% of adults aged 16–59 reported participating in sport in 2023. Northern Ireland’s 2023/24 survey found that 51% of adults aged 16 and over had participated in sport at least once in the preceding 12 months. In Canada, 55.4% of people aged 15 and older participated in sport during the 12 months preceding the 2023 survey.
| Location and population | Participation measure | Share | Reference period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland, adults aged 16–59 | Reported sport participation | 49% | 2023 |
| Northern Ireland, adults aged 16+ | Participated at least once | 51% | Previous 12 months, 2023/24 |
| Canada, people aged 15+ | Participated in sport | 55.4% | Previous 12 months, 2023 |
Sources: Scottish Government, adults; NISRA, Northern Ireland adults; Statistics Canada, sport and work.
These figures describe different populations and survey measures. Scotland’s general adult sport participation table covers ages 16–59, while the Northern Ireland estimate covers adults aged 16 and over and the Canadian estimate begins at age 15. The Scotland figure is for 2023; the other estimates refer to participation at least once during the 12 months before their surveys. They should be read as national snapshots rather than a strict ranking: small differences may reflect scope and measurement as well as participation.
The Northern Ireland bulletin excludes walking for recreation from its sport participation measure. It reports walking-inclusive frequency separately. Keeping those measures distinct avoids treating a broader physical-activity indicator as if it were the same as sport participation.
Recreational sport participation statistics by age, sex, disability, and deprivation
The Scottish and Northern Irish adult results show variation across age and circumstances. In Scotland, among adults aged 16–59 in 2023, sport participation was 64% for those aged 16–34 and 53% for those aged 35–59. The same age-and-sex table reports participation of 54% for men and 45% for women aged 16–59.
| Scottish adult group | Participated in sport, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Ages 16–34 | 64% |
| Ages 35–59 | 53% |
| Men, ages 16–59 | 54% |
| Women, ages 16–59 | 45% |
Source: Scottish Government, adults.
Scotland’s inequality tables use a wider adult population, ages 16 and over. In 2023, participation was 37% in the most deprived areas and 60% in the least deprived areas. The disability comparison was 32% among adults with a disability and 56% among adults without a disability. In this report, disability is defined by the presence of a long-term life-limiting illness. Because the age range differs from the 16–59 table above, these figures should be interpreted within their own comparisons.
Northern Ireland also reported participation differences among adults aged 16 and over who took part at least once in the previous 12 months. The survey found 30% participation among adults with a disability and 59% among those without a disability. By area deprivation, the figures were 41% in the most deprived areas and 63% in the least deprived areas.
Its age results show a detailed pattern rather than a single uniform decline. Participation was 72% for ages 16–24 and 67% for ages 25–34. It was 59% for ages 35–44, and 55% for ages 45–54. The broader comparison places participation at 64% for ages 16–44 and 37% for adults aged 45 and over; among those aged 65 and over, it was 26%. These are estimates for the same previous-year measure, with the age bands as defined by the bulletin.
Source for Northern Ireland comparisons: NISRA, Experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.
The reported differences identify where survey participation varied by age, disability, and deprivation. They do not explain why those differences occurred. The Scottish and Northern Irish measures also come from separate surveys and should not be combined into a single cross-country subgroup comparison.
Recreational sport participation statistics for children and young people
Scotland’s 2024 Scottish Health Survey reported that 66% of children aged 2–15 participated in sport. The detailed age table shows variation across childhood: participation was 50% among children aged 2–4, 72% at ages 5–7, 77% at ages 8–10, 74% at ages 11–12, and 58% at ages 13–15.
| Children’s age group, Scotland | Participated in sport, 2024 |
|---|---|
| 2–4 | 50% |
| 5–7 | 72% |
| 8–10 | 77% |
| 11–12 | 74% |
| 13–15 | 58% |
The detailed table also reports 66% for male children and 66% for female children. These are subgroup figures; the report separately states the overall rate of 66% for children aged 2–15. The age pattern rises from the youngest listed group to the 8–10 group, then is lower in the 11–12 and 13–15 groups. The table supplies observed estimates, not evidence about the reasons for those differences.
Source: Scottish Government, children and young people.
The same Scottish survey found participation of 55% among children in the most deprived areas and 78% in the least deprived areas. By disability status, 50% of disabled children and 69% of children without a disability participated in sport. The report defines disability using the presence of a life-limiting long-term illness. These estimates refer to Scottish children aged 2–15 in 2024, and the deprivation and disability results are comparisons between the categories reported in the survey.
Source: Scottish Government, children and young people.
Recreational sport participation: sports adults choose
Statistics Canada’s 2023 survey gives a view of the sports reported by Canadian participants over the preceding 12 months. Among people who participated in some type of sport, swimming was reported by 35%, cycling by 33%, and running by 27%. These percentages describe sports among participants, not the share of all Canadians who took part in each activity.
| Sport reported by Canadian sport participants | Share |
|---|---|
| Swimming | 35% |
| Cycling | 33% |
| Running | 27% |
Source: Statistics Canada, “Participation in Canadian society through sport and work”.
The report also describes differences in the most commonly reported sport among participants from racialized groups. Running was reported by 40% of Chinese respondents who participated in sport, 35% of Japanese respondents, 35% of Southeast Asian respondents, and 33% of South Asian respondents. Among Black sport participants, 32% reported running; among respondents belonging to multiple racialized groups, the reported figure was 37%.
Soccer was reported by 40% of Arab respondents who participated in sport. Among Black respondents, 31% reported soccer, the second most common sport in that group. These are group-specific participation reports, each referring to the previous 12 months. They do not establish that one sport is universally preferred by a group or explain the reasons for the reported choices.
Source: Statistics Canada, “Participation in Canadian society through sport and work”.
Recreational sport participation: frequency and club membership
A 12-month participation measure includes anyone who took part at least once during that period. A shorter reference period gives a different view of how recently adults participated. In Northern Ireland, 44% of adults aged 16 and over had participated in sport at least once in the 4 weeks before the 2023/24 survey. This is a four-week sport measure and excludes walking for recreation.
The same bulletin reports a distinct, broader frequency measure: 48% of adults normally took part in sport or physical activity at least 1 day per week, and 22% did so on 4 or more days per week. This measure explicitly includes sport or walking for recreation. It should not be treated as a sport-only rate or compared directly with the 44% four-week figure as if the definitions matched.
Source: NISRA, Experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.
Club membership captures another form of involvement. In Northern Ireland, 27% of adults were members of a sports club or organisation within the previous year. Current membership in 2023/24 was 35% for men and 18% for women. The bulletin also reports membership of 13% among adults with a disability and 32% among those without a disability. By area deprivation, membership was 18% in the most deprived areas and 32% in the least deprived areas.
These results describe membership rather than all sport participation: someone can participate without belonging to a club, and club membership alone does not specify how often a person took part. The reported gender, disability, and deprivation results make clear that participation and membership are separate measures in this survey.
Source: NISRA, Experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.
Benefits and barriers related to recreational sport participation
People who play sport and people who do not were asked about different aspects of the experience. In Canada, sport participants most often cited physical health and fitness as a motivation, at 82%. Fun, recreation, or relaxation was reported by 70%; mental health benefits by 65%; and doing activities with friends by 54%. These responses describe motivations among Canadian sport participants in 2023, rather than measured health outcomes caused by sport.
Source: Statistics Canada, “Participation in Canadian society through sport and work”.
Northern Ireland participants who had taken part in sport during the previous year also identified benefits. In 2023/24, 73% cited improved physical health and 72% cited keeping fit. Improved mental health was reported by 68%. Other responses included having fun at 40%, feeling better about themselves at 38%, and losing weight at 27%. A further 3% said they experienced no benefits. These are survey responses from participants, not clinical measures or proof that sport alone produced an outcome.
Source: NISRA, Experience of sport by adults in Northern Ireland, 2023/24.
Statistics Canada asked respondents who did not play sport about barriers during the 12 months preceding the 2023 survey. Lack of interest was cited by 35.2%, lack of time by 32.9%, age by 24.4%, and injury or health concerns by 21.3%. Expense was reported by 10.8%.
| Barrier reported by Canadian respondents who did not play sport | Share |
|---|---|
| Not interested | 35.2% |
| Did not have the time | 32.9% |
| Age | 24.4% |
| Injury or health concerns | 21.3% |
| Too expensive | 10.8% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 2, barriers to participating in sport.
The benefit and barrier results come from different respondent groups and should be read accordingly: the motivations and benefits were reported by participants, while the Canadian barriers were reported by people who did not play sport. Together, they show that respondents associated sport with health, enjoyment, mental well-being, and social activity, while non-participants named interest, time, age, health, and cost as obstacles. The figures describe reported views within each survey population and reference period.