Watching and Playing Sport, Worldwide

The Greeks may have invented the Olympics, but according to figures from TGI they are the globe's most reluctant sporting participants. Only 1% of Greeks claim to play two or more sports, whereas at the other end of the table figures are 59% in urban China and 70% in the USA. The report also gives detailed figures for watching sport on TV.

NB in India, China and South Africa interviewing is restricted to urban populations so figures do not represent the whole nation.

Predictably, football is the most popular televised sport in most countries - 9 of the 15 analysed. (Urban) China has the largest proportion of football fans, with almost two thirds (60%) saying they choose to watch it on TV. It is also hugely popular in Brazil, Mexico and Greece, (around half).

Other sports with a strong global presence include motor racing (which appears in six of the 'top 3' listings) and basketball (five). Only in Australia and the US is traditional football absent from the top three, and both have their own versions of the game which are top in the popularity stakes.

Combat sports are still popular across much of the globe, and are particularly popular in (urban) South Africa, where boxing and wrestling are among the top four televised sports. Certain sports are uniquely popular in individual countries: volleyball in Brazil, ski jumping in Germany (especially in the last 5 years) and cricket in India with 60% of the urban population watching it on TV. 28% watch rugby in Great Britain, the England 'World Cup Effect' clearly evident.

India : Individuals aged 18-55 from ABC socio-economic groups, 40 selected urban centres

China : Individuals aged 18-64, 30 cities

South Africa Individuals aged 18+, urban communities with population 8,000+

The TGI web site is at www.tgisurveys.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.