Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Sport in Northern Ireland - Statistics & Facts
In Northern Ireland the Department of Communities' ‘Sport Matters’ strategy operated from 2009 to 2019 and focused on improving participation, performance and facilities for sport and physical recreation. As a result of this strategy, the share of the Northern Irish popultation which participated in any type of sport in 2018/2019 was 56 percent, with 26 percent of the population stating that in 2017 they were a member of a sports club.
The most popular sport or physical activity in Northern Ireland is walking for recreation. When it comes to specific types of sport, swimming, keepfit, jogging and cycling are the most practiced sports in the country. Preferences appear to be rather similar between women and men, except that men tend to play more football and snooker or pool, while women tend to do more keepfit and aerobics.
