Contents
- sport participation by age statistics: weekly participation in Australia
- sport participation by age statistics: weekly participation by state and territory
- sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for children aged 0–8
- sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for children aged 9–14
- sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for youth aged 15–17
- sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for youth aged 18–24
- Sources
sport participation by age statistics: weekly participation in Australia
The Australian Sports Commission’s 2025 estimates describe weekly sport-related activity for children aged 0–14 and people aged 15–24. For children, the indicator is organised sport-related activity outside school hours at least once a week. For youth, it is sport-related activity at least once a week. Because the definitions differ, the age groups provide context within their own measures rather than a direct like-for-like comparison. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
An estimated 1,833,000 children aged 0–14 participated weekly under the children’s definition, representing 38%. The reported estimates were 977,000 boys (40%) and 853,000 girls (37%). These are estimates of children meeting the weekly threshold, not counts of sessions or of different sports played. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
Among Australians aged 15–24, an estimated 1,491,000 people, or 43%, participated in sport-related activity at least once a week. The reported male estimate was 890,000 (50%), and the female estimate was 591,000 (36%). As with the child estimates, these figures describe people meeting a frequency threshold; the youth measure has a different stated scope from the children’s organised outside-school-hours indicator. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| Population and weekly measure | Estimated participants | Reported share |
|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0–14, organised outside-school-hours activity | 1,833,000 | 38% |
| Boys aged 0–14, same measure | 977,000 | 40% |
| Girls aged 0–14, same measure | 853,000 | 37% |
| Australians aged 15–24, sport-related activity | 1,491,000 | 43% |
| Males aged 15–24, same measure | 890,000 | 50% |
| Females aged 15–24, same measure | 591,000 | 36% |
The source also reports non-playing involvement at least once during 2025: 195,000 people aged 15–17 (19%) and 498,000 aged 18–24 (20%). This indicator concerns involvement in a non-playing role. It is separate from weekly playing participation and from annual estimates for particular activities. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
sport participation by age statistics: weekly participation by state and territory
Jurisdiction estimates use the same distinction in scope: for children aged 0–14, organised outside-school-hours sport-related activity at least weekly; for youth aged 15–24, sport-related activity at least weekly. The child series includes all 8 states and territories. The supplied youth observations are for the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales; the absence of other youth figures here does not indicate that those jurisdictions had no participants. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| State or territory | Children aged 0–14: estimated weekly participants |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | 34,000 (40%) |
| New South Wales | 540,000 (36%) |
| Northern Territory | 20,000 (37%)* |
| Queensland | 381,000 (38%) |
| South Australia | 129,000 (41%) |
| Tasmania | 31,000 (34%) |
| Victoria | 489,000 (40%) |
| Western Australia | 210,000 (38%) |
South Australia had the highest reported child participation share in this series, at 41%. The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria each recorded 40%; Tasmania recorded 34%. Counts and shares answer different questions: the estimated count is the number of participants, while the percentage expresses participation within the jurisdiction’s child population under the stated measure. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
The Northern Territory estimate is marked with an asterisk. The source says its relative margin of error is between 50% and 100% and advises using it with caution. That qualification applies to the estimate of 20,000 and its reported share of 37%. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
For youth aged 15–24, the Australian Capital Territory estimate was 31,000 (44%), and the New South Wales estimate was 493,000 (45%). The Australian Capital Territory youth estimate is also asterisked; its relative margin of error is between 50% and 100%, and the source advises caution. These are weekly sport-related activity estimates, not the children’s outside-school-hours measure. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for children aged 0–8
For children aged 0–8, the 2025 activity estimates count annual participants in organised sport-related activity outside school hours. Swimming had the largest listed estimate, at 755,000. Football/Soccer followed at 313,000, and Gymnastics at 226,000. Each activity is reported separately, so one child may be represented in more than one activity count; the values should not be added as though they counted unique people. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| Activity | Estimated annual participants, ages 0–8 |
|---|---|
| Swimming | 755,000 |
| Football/Soccer | 313,000 |
| Gymnastics | 226,000 |
| Australian Football | 129,000 |
| Basketball | 116,000 |
| Running/Jogging | 76,000 |
| DanceSport | 71,000 |
| Tennis | 69,000 |
| Athletics/Track & Field | 64,000 |
| Cricket | 53,000 |
Swimming leads the listed activities, while Cricket has the smallest listed estimate. These are participant counts, not activity-specific rates as a share of all children aged 0–8. The scope is organised activity outside school hours; it does not describe all movement, informal play, or activity during school. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
The breadth of the list is useful for seeing which activities appear among the leading reported estimates, but the entries remain separate measures. For example, the Swimming count and the Football/Soccer count do not identify mutually exclusive groups. Nor does the table say how frequently each annual participant took part; the weekly indicator elsewhere uses a separate at-least-once-a-week threshold. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for children aged 9–14
For children aged 9–14, the annual estimates also concern organised sport-related activity outside school hours. Football/Soccer leads the listed activities at 378,000 participants, followed closely by Swimming at 370,000. Basketball is next at 226,000. These are activity estimates rather than rates showing what share of the age group participated in each sport. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| Activity | Estimated annual participants, ages 9–14 |
|---|---|
| Football/Soccer | 378,000 |
| Swimming | 370,000 |
| Basketball | 226,000 |
| Netball | 188,000 |
| Australian Football | 155,000 |
| Tennis | 119,000 |
| Gymnastics | 110,000 |
| Cricket | 110,000 |
| Athletics/Track & Field | 93,000 |
The listed estimates place Football/Soccer and Swimming at 378,000 and 370,000 participants, respectively. Basketball is estimated at 226,000. Gymnastics and Cricket each have an estimate of 110,000, while Athletics/Track & Field is estimated at 93,000. These are reported annual participant counts by activity; the figures do not explain why participation differs across activities. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
Activity entries may overlap, so the table is not a distribution that adds up to the total number of children. Its annual time frame also differs from the weekly measure: an annual participant may have taken part during the year without meeting the separate threshold of activity at least once every week. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for youth aged 15–17
For youth aged 15–17, the annual estimates cover sport-related activity. Running/Jogging has the largest listed estimate, at 268,000. Swimming, Basketball, and Football/Soccer have estimates of 178,000, 174,000, and 172,000 respectively. The youth scope differs from the children’s organised outside-school-hours measure, so these figures should be read within the youth activity definition. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| Activity | Estimated annual participants, ages 15–17 |
|---|---|
| Running/Jogging | 268,000 |
| Swimming | 178,000 |
| Basketball | 174,000 |
| Football/Soccer | 172,000 |
| Volleyball | 102,000 |
| Tennis | 95,000 |
| Badminton | 92,000 |
| Cricket | 85,000 |
| Netball | 82,000 |
Running/Jogging leads this age-group list. The estimates for Swimming, Basketball, and Football/Soccer are close together, ranging from 172,000 to 178,000. Volleyball is estimated at 102,000, and Netball at 82,000. The source reports participant estimates by activity and does not state that activity categories are mutually exclusive. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
A separate 2025 indicator estimates that 195,000 Australians aged 15–17 (19%) were involved in a non-playing role at least once during the year. That measure records non-playing involvement. It is not interchangeable with the annual activity list or weekly playing participation, which use different definitions and thresholds. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
sport participation by age statistics: annual activities for youth aged 18–24
For Australians aged 18–24, Running/Jogging has the largest reported annual activity estimate, at 661,000 participants. Swimming follows at 405,000. Football/Soccer and Basketball are also among the larger listed activities, at 305,000 and 290,000 respectively. These are annual participant estimates for youth sport-related activity, not weekly frequency measures. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
| Activity | Estimated annual participants, ages 18–24 |
|---|---|
| Running/Jogging | 661,000 |
| Swimming | 405,000 |
| Football/Soccer | 305,000 |
| Basketball | 290,000 |
| Tennis | 185,000 |
| Australian Football | 149,000 |
| Cycling | 139,000 |
| Netball | 137,000 |
| Cricket | 120,000 |
The ordering places Running/Jogging first, followed by Swimming. Football/Soccer and Basketball come next among the listed activities. Tennis, Australian Football, Cycling, Netball, and Cricket complete the reported set. As in the other activity tables, the counts do not give each activity’s share of the age group, and categories may overlap. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)
For broader context, the 2025 weekly measure estimates that 1,491,000 Australians aged 15–24 (43%) participated in sport-related activity at least once a week. The source also estimates that 498,000 people aged 18–24 (20%) were involved in a non-playing role at least once in 2025. These indicators measure weekly participation and non-playing involvement respectively, so they have different meanings from the annual counts by activity. (Australian Sports Commission, Children and youth in sport)