Internal proof of concept. Not an official Statistics Portugal publication. Values come from the Statistics Portugal database; calculation rules marked provisional await approval. Plain-language titles and sentences are drafts awaiting approval by Statistics Portugal.
Sport in Portugal in numbers: who takes part, who works in the sector, what it is worth and what it costs.
Who studies sport in higher education, and how many graduate.
11,599 students enrolled in sport-related higher education in the 2024/2025 school year.
Up 2.2% from 2023/2024.
See more about: How many students study sport in higher education?
Students by field of study
2024 / 2025
2,733 higher-education graduates in sport-related fields in the 2024/2025 school year.
Up 5.2% from 2023/2024.
Number of graduates over time
2012 / 2013 to 2024 / 2025
In the 2024/2025 school year, there were 11,599 students enrolled in tertiary education in the education and training fields considered as sports (2.2% more than in the previous school year). The study areas with the higher number of enrolled students were “sport” (34.5% of the total), “science of sport” (28.1%), and “physical education and sport” (17.9%).
The number of graduates in the field of sports, in 2023/2024 was 2,598, having increased 6.8%, when compared to the previous school year. The share of graduated students in “sport” (31.8% of the total), “science of sport” (25.6%) and “physical education and sport” (21.2%) was almost 4/5 of the total.
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.
How many people work in sport, and what share of all jobs that is.
53.5 thousand people employed in sport in 2025.
Up 1.9% from 2024.
People employed in sport, by sex
2011 to 2025, in thousands
33.8% of people employed in sport were women in 2025.
Down 2.2 percentage points from 2024.
Calculated by the project
See more about: What share of jobs in sport are held by women?
Women’s share of employment in sport
2011 to 2025, in percent
In 2025, sports employment was estimated at 53.5 thousand people (1.9% more than in the previous year). Compared to the total employed population, sports employment is characterized by employing more men and younger and more educated people: 66.2% were men (50.8% in total employment), 54.0% were aged between 16 and 34 years (25.6% in total) and 41.9% had completed the tertiary education (35.1% in total).
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.
Sports businesses: how many there are, how many people they employ and how much they produce.
19,959 businesses in the sports sector in 2024.
Up 10.4% from 2023.
Calculated by the project
See more about: How many businesses are there in the sports sector?
Businesses by region
2024
44,889 people working for sports businesses in 2024.
Up 7.7% from 2023.
Calculated by the project
People working, by region
2024
3.0 billion euros in turnover of sports businesses in 2024.
Up 6.6% from 2023.
Calculated by the project
Turnover over time
2015 to 2024, in euros
1.2 billion euros in gross value added by sports businesses in 2024.
Up 10.3% from 2023.
Calculated by the project
Gross value added by region
2024, in euros
In 2024, 19,959 enterprises belonged to the sports sector (1.3% of the non-financial sector), which were responsible for 3.0 thousand million euros of turnover (0.5%) and for 1.2 thousand million euros of Gross Value Added (GVA) (0.7%).
The sports sector enterprises were mainly located in the Norte region (33.8%) and Grande Lisboa (24.2%), together concentrating more than half (58.0%) of the sports enterprises.
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.
What people working in sport earn on average.
In preparation.
How much Portugal sells and buys abroad in sports goods.
In preparation.
In preparation.
How the prices of sports goods and services are changing.
See more about: Are sports goods and services getting more expensive?
Prices of sports goods and services, annual average (index)
2012 to 2025, index
In 2025, there were increases in the prices of recreational and sports services – participation (+2.7%) and in the recreational and sports services – attendance (+18.4%). The prices of sports equipment and bicycles recorded decreases of 16.2% and 4.7%, respectively.
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.
How much municipal councils spend on sport, and on what.
532.4 million euros spent by municipal councils on sports activities and facilities in 2025.
Up 16.0% from 2024.
See more about: How much do municipal councils spend on sport?
What councils spend on: activities and facilities
2025, in euros
46.7 euros per inhabitant spent by municipal councils on sport in 2025.
Up 15.0% from 2024.
See more about: How much do municipal councils spend on sport per inhabitant?
Spending per inhabitant, by region
2025, in euros
In preparation.
In 2024, the Municipal Councils’ financing on activities and sports infrastructures reached 458.9 million euros (7.6% more than in 2023), which represented 3.6% of the total Municipal Councils’ expenditure.
The average expenditure per inhabitant in activities and sports infrastructures of Municipal Councils was 42.9 euros, standing out the regions of Alentejo (78.6 euros) and Algarve (77.1 euros).
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.
Who plays, coaches and referees in sports federations, and in which sports.
844,186 athletes registered with sports federations in 2024.
Up 9.1% from 2023.
See more about: How many people take part in federated sport?
Athletes by sport: men and women
2024, the 10 highest of 21
32.7% of federated athletes were women in 2024.
Up 1.2 percentage points from 2023.
Calculated by the project
Women’s share of athletes, by sport
2024, in percent, the 10 highest of 21
11,684 clubs registered with sports federations in 2024.
Up 2.8% from 2023.
A club registered with several federations is counted once in each of them.
Clubs by district and autonomous region
2024, the 10 highest of 20
27,593 coaches registered with sports federations in 2024.
Up 5.9% from 2023.
See more about: How many coaches are registered with sports federations?
Coaches by sport: men and women
2024, the 10 highest of 21
19,628 referees registered with sports federations in 2024.
Up 8.4% from 2023.
See more about: How many referees are registered with sports federations?
Referees by sport: men and women
2024, the 10 highest of 21
In 2024, there were 11,684 sports clubs (more 323; +2.8% than in the previous year) and a total of 844,186 practitioners enrolled in sports federations (more 70,341; +9.1%). Football was the modality with the highest number of practitioners (28.2% of the total), followed by swimming (15.2%), volleyball (7.2%) and handball (6.8%).
In the sports modalities with the highest number of members, men predominated in football (92.0%) and handball (59.0%). Women stood out in gymnastics (90.0%) and were the majority in figure skating (62.4%), volleyball (58.3%), and swimming (55.9%).
Coaches registered in sports federations in 2024 was 27,593, following an increase of 5.9% compared to the previous year, in which about 6/7 of the sports coaches (86.0%) were men. In the same year, the sports federations had 19,628 enrolled referees (8.4% more than in 2023), in which men were also the predominant group (72.3% of the total).
Text from Sport in Numbers 2025. Figures in the text refer to that edition and are not updated automatically.