Sport Participation

This page is a first outline. The text and the figures will be refined.

Participation is one of the two things a sport system is meant to produce, next to results. For Ukraine there is no figure yet that we consider reliable enough to monitor. This page collects the numbers that exist, explains where each one falls short, and introduces the two main international ways of measuring participation.

The numbers that exist

• Surveys. A 2025 national sociological survey reports 74% of people aged 18 to 55 taking part in sport, and 56% doing so at least once a week. We rate this source as low quality: Physical Activity of Ukrainians — National … .
• Administrative statistics. Ministry and regional reporting on the number of people engaged in organised sport. To be added.
• Household survey. Derzhstat’s Survey of Living Conditions of Households … . To be added.

Where the numbers fall short

We ask the same questions of every figure:

• Who counted, and how: a sample survey, or reports filed by institutions?
• What counts as participation, and how often?
• Who is covered: which age groups, which regions?
• Can the figure be compared across years and with other countries?

A short assessment of each source will appear here.

How participation is measured internationally

• WHO. The World Health Organization measures physical activity, not sport as such. Countries run population surveys with a standard questionnaire, GPAQ. The headline indicator is the share of adults who do not reach the recommended level of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
• Eurobarometer. The Special Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity is run for the European Commission in EU member states. It asks people how often they exercise or play sport: Special Eurobarometer SP574: Sport and … . Ukraine is not covered.