In search for practices that lead to excellent performance, EIPA and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands perform a multiannual benchmarking study (2022-25) to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, satisfaction and trust of citizens, enterprises, and other relevant stakeholders regarding available products, services, provisions, and outcomes in ten policy areas in 35 countries.

The third chapter of the study undertaken in 2024 examines the role of sport and exercise, focusing on mass participation and its social and health benefits.

Key findings include:

Participation Patterns

• Nordic and Western European countries score above average in physical activity participation, while Central, Eastern, and Southern European countries score below
• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in participation rates across all regions from 2015 to

Expenditure and Efficiency

• Wealthier countries in Northern and Western Europe have higher private spending on sports, correlating with greater participation, while government expenditure as a share of GDP shows no consistent pattern across
• Public funding is often directed toward infrastructure rather than direct engagement in sports, raising questions about its social return on

Influencing Factors

• Participation correlates more strongly with factors like wealth, civic traditions, culture, and educational attainment than with public
• High satisfaction and social cohesion in Nordic and Western Europe are linked to strong civic traditions, voluntary sectors, and cultural

While welfare regimes influence participation, non-policy factors like civic traditions and cultural values appear more significant.

Anglosphere countries achieve high participation with lower public spending, emphasising the importance of broader socio-economic and cultural influences.

On 23 September from to CET our experts will present the key findings and the interactive