EU: share of people who exercise or play sport regularly 2013-2017, by country
Reasons for participation
People participate in sport for a variety of reasons, to improve health and fitness, to relax, to have fun and to improve physical performance are some of the most frequently offered motives. Several of these reasons can be considered to be beneficial to both the state and the individual, the most obvious among these include health and wellbeing, social cohesion, and public spending. As such many global governments offer substantial investment into sports facilities events and promotion, for example in 2017, the General State Administration spent a total of 143 million euros on sport related investments, which is reflected in the high share of respondents that engaged in exercise and sport at least five times per week. More information about sports in Europe can be found in the Dossier: Fitness industry in Europe.