Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Last year saw 1.51 million people employed in the sports sector in the European Union, representing 0.8% of total employment. This represents a 10.9% increase in the number of workers in the sports sector compared to 2021 (1.36 million).
  The sports sector includes economic activities and professions such as sports teams and clubs, coaches, independent athletes, fitness centers, and sports event promotion and management activities.According to the European Statistical Office in Brussels, Eurostat.
Among the EU members, Sweden had the highest percentage of people employed in sports (1.4% of total employment), followed by Finland and Denmark (both 1.2%) and Spain and France (both 1.1%). In contrast, the lowest percentage of workers in the sports sector was recorded in Romania (0.2% of total employment), Bulgaria (0.3%), Poland and Slovakia (both 0.4%) and Croatia and Lithuania (0.5%).
More men than women are employed in sports
For employment in the sports sector, men were over-represented by women (55% and 45%, respectively), resulting in a larger gender employment gap than overall employment (54% and 46%, respectively).

More than a third of those involved in sports are between the ages of 15-29
Work in sports differs from total employment in terms of age groups. More than a third (35%) of those employed in sports were between the ages of 15 and 29, more than double the percentage observed in total employment (17%) in 2022.

The 30-64 age group had the highest proportion of those employed in sport, accounting for 62% of all employed in sport, which is 18 percentage points (pp) lower than the reported proportion for total employment (80%). People over 65 years of age account for 3% in both the sports sector and total employment.

Almost half of those working in sports have an intermediate level of education
Almost half (46%) of those employed in the sports sector have an intermediate level of education (ISCED levels 3-4), followed by those with a tertiary (university) education (ISCED levels 5-8) with approximately 40% , which is 2.4 percentage points higher in sports than in total employment People with lower education (ISCED levels 0-2) account for 14% of employment in sports.