Topic: Water sports in the United Kingdom (UK)

Water sports in the United Kingdom (UK) - Statistics & Facts

Roughly 17 million people in the United Kingdom (UK) participate in some sort of water sport activity. Most commonly they just spend leisure time at the beach, go for coastal walks or swim outside. Approximately 3.9 million people in the UK take part in a recreational boating activity. Of those who go boating, 22 percent took part in it on at least six occasions throughout the year.

Number of adults participating in swimming at least twice a month in England
4.4m

Share of children participating in swimming and diving in England
25.3%

Share of adults in Scotland who swim at least once a month
*%

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Current statistics on this topic

Water-based Activities

Participation rate in watersports activities in the United Kingdom (UK) 2005-2022

Water-based Activities

UK: number of boats owned by households from 2015 to 2017, by type of boat

Sports Participation

Swimming participation England 2015-2025

Participation

Water sports participation England 2015-2025
Water sports participation England 2015-2025
Number of people participating in water sports in England from 2015-16 to 2024-25
Participation rate in watersports activities in the United Kingdom (UK) 2005-2022
Participation rate in watersports activities in the United Kingdom (UK) 2005-2022
Participation rate in any watersports activities in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2005 to 2022
Share of individuals participating in watersports in the UK 2019, by activity
Share of individuals participating in watersports in the UK 2019, by activity
Share of individuals participating in watersports in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019, by activity
United Kingdom: number of outdoor watersport participants in 2018, by activity
United Kingdom: number of outdoor watersport participants in 2018, by activity
Leading outdoor watersport activities in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018, by number of participants (in 1,000)
UK: distribution of water sports activity events in 2015-2017, by area
UK: distribution of water sports activity events in 2015-2017, by area
Distribution of any water sports activity events in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2015 to 2017, by area
UK: distribution of people participating in water sport activities in 2022, by season
UK: distribution of people participating in water sport activities in 2022, by season
Distribution of people participating in water sport activities in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022, by season
Waterskiing participation England 2016-2020
Waterskiing participation England 2016-2020
Number of people participating in waterskiing in England from 2016 to 2020

Fishing

Angling participation in England 2015-2025
Angling participation in England 2015-2025
Number of people participating in angling in England from 2015-16 to 2024-25
Children participating in fishing in England 2010-2018
Children participating in fishing in England 2010-2018
Share of children participating in fishing or angling in the last 4 weeks in England from 2010/11 to 2017/18
Number of sales of rod fishing licences sold in England 2016/17, by area
Number of sales of rod fishing licences sold in England 2016/17, by area
Number of rod fishing licences sold in England in 2016/2017, by area (in 1,000)
England and Wales: number of net fishing licences from 2008 to 2019
England and Wales: number of net fishing licences from 2008 to 2019
Number of net fishing licences in England and Wales from 2008 to 2019
United Kingdom: monitored water bodies 2018/19, by band classes of fish population
United Kingdom: monitored water bodies 2018/19, by band classes of fish population
Distribution of water bodies assessed for fish in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018/2019, by band classes of fish population
NI: DCAL enforcement activities against illegal fishing on private waters 2011-2018
NI: DCAL enforcement activities against illegal fishing on private waters 2011-2018
Number of protection and enforcement activities by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) against illegal fishing on private waters in Northern Ireland from 2010/2011 to 2017/2018, by category
NI: DCAL enforcement activities against illegal fishing on DAERA waters 2017/2018
NI: DCAL enforcement activities against illegal fishing on DAERA waters 2017/2018
Number of enforcement activities by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) waters in Northern Ireland in 2017/2018, by type

Swimming

Swimming participation England 2015-2025
Swimming participation England 2015-2025
Number of people participating in swimming in England from 2015-16 to 2024-25
Children's swimming participation rate in England 2017-2025
Children's swimming participation rate in England 2017-2025
Share of children participating in swimming and diving in England from 2017-18 to 2024-25
Scotland: swimming participation of adults in the last 4 weeks 2007-2020
Scotland: swimming participation of adults in the last 4 weeks 2007-2020
Share of adults who participated in swimming in the past four weeks in Scotland from 2007 to 2020
Scotland: swimming participation by adults in the last 4 weeks in 2019, by age group
Scotland: swimming participation by adults in the last 4 weeks in 2019, by age group
Share of adults who participated in swimming in the past four weeks in Scotland in 2019, by age group
Scotland: number of registered officials of Scottish Swimming from 2011 to 2020
Scotland: number of registered officials of Scottish Swimming from 2011 to 2020
Number of officials registered with the swimming technical officials committee of Scottish Swimming in Scotland from 2011 to 2020, by region
Wales: swimming participation of primary and secondary school pupils 2018, by gender
Wales: swimming participation of primary and secondary school pupils 2018, by gender
Swimming participation of primary and secondary school pupils in any form or setting in Wales 2018, by gender
Wales: swimming participation of FE college students 2018, by institution
Wales: swimming participation of FE college students 2018, by institution
Swimming participation of further education college students in Wales 2018, by institution

Boating

UK: share of people participating in any boating activity 2002-2018
UK: share of people participating in any boating activity 2002-2018
Share of people participating in any boating activity in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2002 to 2018
UK: share of people who own any boat 2007 to 2017
UK: share of people who own any boat 2007 to 2017
Share of people who own a recreational boat in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2007 to 2017
UK: share of people who own a boat 2017 by type
UK: share of people who own a boat 2017 by type
Share of people owning a boat in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by type
Boating activites: seasonal participation in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Boating activites: seasonal participation in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
Distribution of seasonal participation in recreational boating activities in the United Kingdom (UK) 2017
UK: distribution of people participating in boating activities in 2017, by season
UK: distribution of people participating in boating activities in 2017, by season
Distribution of people participating in boating activities in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017, by season
UK: distribution of lifejacket usage for any boating activity from 2013 to 2017
UK: distribution of lifejacket usage for any boating activity from 2013 to 2017
Distribution of lifejacket usage for recreational boating activity in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2017
England: share of people who had taken a break from boating 2016, by reason
England: share of people who had taken a break from boating 2016, by reason
Share of people who had taken a break from boating in England in 2016, by reason (top three)
England: share of people who got brought back to boating 2016, by reason
England: share of people who got brought back to boating 2016, by reason
Share of people who got brought back to boating in England in 2016, by reason (top three)

Public funding

Public funding for Olympic diving in the UK 2000-2024, by Games
Public funding for Olympic diving in the UK 2000-2024, by Games
Public funding for Olympic diving in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2024, by Games (in million GBP)
Public funding for Olympic rowing in the UK 2000-2024
Public funding for Olympic rowing in the UK 2000-2024
Public funding for Olympic rowing in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2024, by Games (in million GBP)
Public funding for Olympic sailing in the UK 2000
Public funding for Olympic sailing in the UK 2000
Public funding for Olympic sailing in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2024, by Games (in million GBP)
Public funding for Olympic swimming in the UK 2000-2024
Public funding for Olympic swimming in the UK 2000-2024
Public funding for Olympic swimming in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2024, by Games (in million GBP)
UK: Sport England's public funding for British Water Ski and Wakeboard 2013-2017
UK: Sport England's public funding for British Water Ski and Wakeboard 2013-2017
Sport England's investment plans for British Water Ski and Wakeboard* in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2017, by category (in 1,000 GBP)

Membership

United Kingdom: number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) clubs 2016, by country
United Kingdom: number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) clubs 2016, by country
Number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) clubs in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016, by country
United Kingdom: number of Royal Yachting Association club members 2016, by country
United Kingdom: number of Royal Yachting Association club members 2016, by country
Number of Royal Yachting Association (RYA) club members in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016, by country
Swimming club membership in England 2016-2023
Swimming club membership in England 2016-2023
Share of swimming participants that were members of a club in England from 2016-17 to 2022-23
Sailing club membership in England 2016-2023
Sailing club membership in England 2016-2023
Share of sailing participants in England that were members of a club from 2016-17 to 2022-23
Canoeing club membership in England 2016-2021
Canoeing club membership in England 2016-2021
Share of canoeing participants who are members of a club in England from 2016/2017 to 2020/2021
Swim Wales: number of members from 2011 to 2019
Swim Wales: number of members from 2011 to 2019
Number of members of Swim Wales from 2011 to 2019
Scottish Canoe Association: number of members in Scotland 2015-2022
Scottish Canoe Association: number of members in Scotland 2015-2022
Number of members of the Scottish Canoe Association in Scotland from 2015 to 2022

Import & export

United Kingdom: sailboards import value 2020-2024
United Kingdom: sailboards import value 2020-2024
Value of sailboards imported to United Kingdom from 2020 to 2024 (in 1,000 British pounds)
United Kingdom: sailboards export value 2020-2024
United Kingdom: sailboards export value 2020-2024
Value of sailboards exported from United Kingdom from 2020 to 2024 (in 1,000 British pounds)
United Kingdom: water-skis and surfboards imports 2020-2024
United Kingdom: water-skis and surfboards imports 2020-2024
Value of water-skis, surfboards and other water-sport equipment imported to United Kingdom from 2020 to 2024 (in 1,000 British pounds)
United Kingdom: water-skis and surfboards export value 2020-2024
United Kingdom: water-skis and surfboards export value 2020-2024
Value of water-skis, surfboards and other water-sport equipment exported from United Kingdom from 2020 to 2024 (in 1,000 British pounds)

Number of adults participating in swimming at least twice a month in England
4.4m

Share of children participating in swimming and diving in England
25.3%

Share of adults in Scotland who swim at least once a month
*%

Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "Water sports in the United Kingdom (UK)" and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.

- Total number of boats owned by households in the UK
- ****m
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Detailed statistics
UK: number of boats owned by households from 2015 to 2017, by type of boat
- Share of households owning small sailing boats in the UK
- ***%
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Detailed statistics
Number of boat owning households in the UK 2022, by type of boat
- Share of people participating in any boating activity in the UK
- 18.5%
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Detailed statistics
Boating activities participation in the UK 2020-2022
- Share of boating participants in the UK who don't use a lifejacket
- **%
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Detailed statistics
UK: distribution of lifejacket usage for any boating activity from 2013 to 2017

- Olympic diving
- ***m GBP
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Detailed statistics
Public funding for Olympic diving in the UK 2000-2024, by Games
- Olympic rowing
- ****m GBP
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Detailed statistics
Public funding for Olympic rowing in the UK 2000-2024
- Olympic sailing
- ****m GBP
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Detailed statistics
Public funding for Olympic sailing in the UK 2000
- Olympic swimming
- ****m GBP
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Detailed statistics
Public funding for Olympic swimming in the UK 2000-2024
- Olympic canoeing
- ****m GBP
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Detailed statistics
Public funding for Olympic canoeing in the UK 2000-2024, by Games

- Region with highest number of members of the Royal Yachting Association: South
- *****
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Detailed statistics
England: number of Royal Yachting Association club members 2019, by region
- Number of members in Swim Wales 2018
- ******
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Detailed statistics
Swim Wales: number of members from 2011 to 2019
- Number of members in the Scottish Canoe Association
- *****
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Detailed statistics
Scottish Canoe Association: number of members in Scotland 2015-2022