EU sport sector employment reaches 1.8 million as Eurostat highlights education and manufacturing trends
Ahead of the European week of sport, new EU figures highlight the scale of sport-related activity across employment, education and manufacturing. The data also points to a gender imbalance in tertiary sports studies and an €8 billion turnover generated by sporting goods producers in 2024.
Highlights
- Eurostat reports 1.8 million employed in the EU sport sector in 2025, reflecting its significant role in regional labor markets.
- Tertiary education data for 2024 reveals a persistent gender gap, with only two female students for every five male students in sports studies.
- In 2024, 5,380 EU manufacturers of sporting goods generated €8 billion in total turnover, emphasizing sport's broader economic impact.
Eurostat infographic outlines sport sector metrics
As reported by Eurostat, 1.8 million people are employed in the sport sector across the EU in 2025, while the agency also highlights wider indicators tied to participation and economic activity.The statistical office says its infographic on EU sports is released to mark the European week of sport, which runs from 23 to 30 September. Among the figures included, tertiary education data for 2024 shows there are only two female students for every five male students studying sports.
Economic footprint and workforce picture
Eurostat also says that in 2024 there are 5,380 EU manufacturers producing sporting goods, generating a total turnover of €8 billion.Taken together, the figures underline sport's role not only as a participation activity but also as a source of jobs, industrial output and education demand across the bloc. The data points to a broad economic footprint for the sector while also showing persistent gender disparities in sports-related studies.
Our earlier coverage of the EU’s proposed €2tn seven-year budget explained that negotiations for the 2028–34 framework were coming under mounting strain, with Germany’s political uncertainty weakening its ability to broker a compromise. We also noted that failure to reach a year-end agreement could disrupt payments from 2028 and complicate EU priorities such as competitiveness, defence and resilience—factors that ultimately influence how much support different sectors across the bloc can expect.
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