Belgians showcase higher engagement in sports events than the average European, according to statistics released on Wednesday by Statbel, the federal office of statistics, and its European counterpart, Eurostat.
Over a quarter of Belgians aged 16 and over attended at least one sports event in 2022, positioning Belgium ahead of countries such as France, Italy and Spain.
Around 19% of women and over 32% of men followed a sports competition in 2022, making Belgium one of the top seven European nations with the highest participation rates.
The most fervent nation is Ireland, with nearly 40% of the population having watched at least one sports event throughout the year, followed by Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Belgium.
Furthermore, nearly 14% of Belgians over the age of 16 attended a sports competition at least four times a year in 2022. Only the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden displayed higher participation rates.
However, the statistical offices stipulate that these figures might have been influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic potentially limiting participation during this period.
