The latest Irish Sports Monitor (ISM) 2025 report, published by Sport Ireland, highlights the continued growth of gym, leisure centre, and swimming pool participation across Ireland, reinforcing the sector’s vital contribution to national health and wellbeing outcomes.
The report launched this week by Minister for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue, reveals that weekly participation in personal exercise has risen significantly from 12% in 2017 to 20% in 2025, making it the most popular form of physical activity in the country.
When combined with weight training participation (4%), almost one in four adults is now regularly engaging in gym and fitness-based activity. Swimming participation also remains strong at 8%, further demonstrating the importance of accessible leisure facilities and qualified fitness professionals in supporting active lifestyles across Ireland.
The report also highlighted that 30% of adults have taken up a new activity or sport since 2019, with personal exercise emerging as the most popular new activity at 27%, followed by walking, swimming, and running.
The Irish Sports Monitor 2025 also reports that overall active sports participation has reached 48%, representing approximately 2.12 million adults regularly participating in sport each week.
Commenting on the report, Ireland Active CEO Karl Dunne said:
“The latest Sport Ireland Sports Monitor Report highlights the growing role Ireland’s gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools are playing in creating a healthier and more active nation.
Personal exercise has grown from 12% in 2017 to 20% in 2025. When combined with weight training and swimming participation, it shows that almost one third of Irish people are now using Ireland Active member facilities and services as part of their physical activity journey.
For Ireland Active, this data reflects what our members are delivering every day. Gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools, and fitness professionals are the engine room for the Government to achieve national participation, health, and wellbeing objectives.”
The report also demonstrates how gyms, swimming pools and fitness activities continue to support participation across all demographics. Personal exercise is the most popular activity among both males and females, while also ranking highest across every age category.
Participation among people with disabilities also shows the importance of accessible facilities and inclusive fitness opportunities, with personal exercise and swimming remaining among the most popular activities for adults with disabilities.
The report also highlights ongoing socio-economic participation gaps across Ireland, with higher participation rates consistently observed among ABC1 groups compared with lower-income C2DE groups.
Personal exercise participation among ABC1 groups stands at 24%, compared to 16% among C2DE groups, while swimming participation is also notably higher among higher socio-economic groups.
The findings reinforce the importance of continued investment in accessible, affordable, and inclusive fitness opportunities across communities nationwide.
Ireland Active reiterates its support for the introduction of a gym and swim tax credit, following ongoing findings from independent RED C research indicating that affordability remains a barrier to participation for many individuals and families.
Karl Dunne added:
“The momentum is there. The sector is delivering. Now is the time to support policies that help more people become more active, more often.”
Read more about the Report here: Sport Ireland Irish Sports Monitor Report Summary 2025
