53.5 thousand people employed in sport in 2025.
Up 1.9% from 2024.
How many people work in sport?
Explore the data
People employed in sport, by sex
2011 to 2025, in thousands
- Total
- Men
- Women
Show the data as a table
| Period | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 24.0 | 12.4 | 11.6 |
| 2012 | 22.3 | 12.7 | 9.6 |
| 2013 | 28.8 | 19.5 | 9.3 |
| 2014 | 32.7 | 18.9 | 13.8 |
| 2015 | 39.5 | 25.0 | 14.5 |
| 2016 | 39.6 | 23.4 | 16.2 |
| 2017 | 40.1 | 21.2 | 18.9 |
| 2018 | 39.2 | 22.4 | 16.8 |
| 2019 | 39.0 | 22.5 | 16.4 |
| 2020 | 38.3 | 22.6 | 15.7 |
| 2021 | 39.9 | 25.3 | 14.6 |
| 2022 | 44.4 | 28.8 | 15.6 |
| 2023 | 45.3 | 26.4 | 18.9 |
| 2024 | 52.5 | 33.6 | 18.9 |
| 2025 | 53.5 | 35.4 | 18.1 |
Sport’s share of total employment
2011 to 2025, in percent Calculated by the project
Show the data as a table
| Period | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 0.5 |
| 2012 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 0.7 |
| 2014 | 0.8 |
| 2015 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | 0.9 |
| 2017 | 0.9 |
| 2018 | 0.8 |
| 2019 | 0.8 |
| 2020 | 0.8 |
| 2021 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | 0.9 |
| 2023 | 0.9 |
| 2024 | 1.0 |
| 2025 | 1.0 |
People employed in sport, by age
2021 to 2025, in thousands
| Age group | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 39.9 | 44.4 | 45.3 | 52.5 | 53.5 |
| 16 - 24 years | 4.4 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 7.0 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 8.5 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 9.7 | 11.2 |
| 25 - 34 years | 10.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 16.8 | 17.7 |
| 35 - 44 years | 13.7 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 9.3 | 10.2 |
| 45 - 54 years | 8.0 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 7.0 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 8.0 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 10.8 | 9.1 |
| 55 - 64 years | x (Not available) | x (Not available) | 4.4 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 4.7 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 5.0 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) |
| 65 - 89 years | x (Not available) | x (Not available) | x (Not available) | x (Not available) | x (Not available) |
Conventional signs:
- §
- Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value
- x
- Not available
People employed in sport, by level of education
2021 to 2025, in thousands
| Highest completed level of education | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 39.9 | 44.4 | 45.3 | 52.5 | 53.5 |
| Until lower secondary education | 9.1 | 6.9 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 6.7 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 7.1 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) | 6.4 § (Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value) |
| Secondary education/post-secondary education | 14.4 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 20.0 | 24.8 |
| Tertiary education | 16.4 | 21.8 | 21.9 | 25.4 | 22.4 |
Conventional signs:
- §
- Quality standard deviation/Extremely unreliable value
About these data
Show sources, notes, calculation rules and citation
Sources, units, dates, notes, calculation rules, citation and provenance of every chart and table on this page.
- Reference
- Measure D08 of the list of selected indicators: Sports employment — number and share of total employment
Comparison with the previous period
Change calculated by the project from the published values (2025: 53.5; 2024: 52.5): (53.5 − 52.5) ÷ 52.5 × 100 = 1.9%, rounded to one decimal place. Not a value published by Statistics Portugal.
People employed in sport, by sex
- Periods
- 2011 to 2025
- Unit
- Number (No.), values in thousands
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Notes
- Statistics Portugal note (0011472): Sports activities considered are the economic activities of the NACE Rev.2.: 323 (Manufacture of sports goods) and 931 (Sports activities). The occupations of ISCO-08 considered are: 3421 - Athletes and sports players, 3422 - Sports coaches, instructors, and officials, and 3423- Fitness and recreation instructors and program leaders.
Source
- Statistics Portugal, Labour force survey (Series 2021): Sports employment (Serie 2021, NACE Rev. 2 - No.) by Sex, source last updated 4 February 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0011472)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. Sport in Numbers: “People employed in sport, by sex”. http://localhost:4321/en/desporto-em-numeros/d08#x-D08-sexo. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0011472@2026-11-03T19:37:25.618Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
250e3f38686442eb28fe487f1a723ff270a145927f427e14ac99f091b28d27a5
Sport’s share of total employment
- Periods
- 2011 to 2025
- Unit
- Percentage (%)
- Sex
- Total
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Value calculated by the project from Statistics Portugal data, with a rule still to be confirmed: 100 × sports employment (0011472, total) ÷ employed population (0012156, Portugal, total), same year. Both in thousands, 2021 series. Still to confirm that both tables cover the same age range. (Rule source: Sport in Numbers 2025, figure 5 ("As a percentage of total employment"))
Notes
- Statistics Portugal note (0011472): Sports activities considered are the economic activities of the NACE Rev.2.: 323 (Manufacture of sports goods) and 931 (Sports activities). The occupations of ISCO-08 considered are: 3421 - Athletes and sports players, 3422 - Sports coaches, instructors, and officials, and 3423- Fitness and recreation instructors and program leaders.
Sources
- Statistics Portugal, Labour force survey (Series 2021): Sports employment (Serie 2021, NACE Rev. 2 - No.) by Sex, source last updated 4 February 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0011472)
- Statistics Portugal, Labour force survey (Series 2021): Employed population (Series 2021 - No.) by Place of residence (NUTS - 2024), Sex, Age group and Highest completed level of education, source last updated 4 February 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0012156)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. Sport in Numbers: “Sport’s share of total employment”. http://localhost:4321/en/desporto-em-numeros/d08#x-D08-peso. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0011472@2026-11-03T19:37:25.618Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
250e3f38686442eb28fe487f1a723ff270a145927f427e14ac99f091b28d27a5- Version
INE:0012156@2026-11-03T19:37:44.778Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
92ba10d611ce056bfa5d453b2f4ccd6cf4ee1f75dab4fa0da5ee7398edbfc763
People employed in sport, by age
- Periods
- 2021 to 2025
- Unit
- Number (No.), values in thousands
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Notes
- Statistics Portugal note (0011473): Sports activities considered are the economic activities of the NACE Rev.2.: 323 (Manufacture of sports goods) and 931 (Sports activities). The occupations of ISCO-08 considered are: 3421 - Athletes and sports players, 3422 - Sports coaches, instructors, and officials, and 3423- Fitness and recreation instructors and program leaders.
Source
- Statistics Portugal, Labour force survey (Series 2021): Sports employment (Serie 2021, NACE Rev. 2 - No.) by Age group, source last updated 4 February 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0011473)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. Sport in Numbers: “People employed in sport, by age”. http://localhost:4321/en/desporto-em-numeros/d08#x-D08-idade. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0011473@2026-11-03T19:37:31.760Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
81d661b4958edec30513dc13f78c55f64a3a1a05969f4784e7436cb3bb99a805
People employed in sport, by level of education
- Periods
- 2021 to 2025
- Unit
- Number (No.), values in thousands
- Data as of
- 3 November 2026
Notes
- Statistics Portugal note (0011474): Sports activities considered are the economic activities of the NACE Rev.2.: 323 (Manufacture of sports goods) and 931 (Sports activities). The occupations of ISCO-08 considered are: 3421 - Athletes and sports players, 3422 - Sports coaches, instructors, and officials, and 3423- Fitness and recreation instructors and program leaders.
Source
- Statistics Portugal, Labour force survey (Series 2021): Sports employment (Serie 2021, NACE Rev. 2 - No.) by Highest completed level of education, source last updated 4 February 2026. View in the Statistics Portugal database (0011474)
Suggested citation
Statistics Portugal. Sport in Numbers: “People employed in sport, by level of education”. http://localhost:4321/en/desporto-em-numeros/d08#x-D08-escolaridade. Data as of 3 November 2026; accessed 4 November 2026.
Provenance
- Version
INE:0011474@2026-11-03T19:37:37.782Z- Observations checksum (SHA-256)
7712f0443ecea72ef10b432bf39f11a245dff5724ae69810bec2a4d7d3f44021