Table 6
Most practised sports by Canadians, 20051
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| Population aged 15 and over | Overall participation rate2 | Active participation rate3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | ||
| thousands | percentage | percentage | |||||
| Total population | 26,106 | 12,867 | 13,239 | … | … | … | … |
| Total participants | 7,314 | 4,568 | 2,745 | … | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Golf | 1,487 | 1,153 | 334 | 5.7 | 20.3 | 25.2 | 12.2 |
| Ice hockey | 1,298 | 1,182 | 116 | 5.0 | 17.7 | 25.9 | 4.2 E |
| Swimming | 764 | 252 | 513 | 2.9 | 10.4 | 5.5 | 18.7 |
| Soccer | 708 | 400 | 309 | 2.7 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 11.3 |
| Basketball | 626 | 445 | 181 | 2.4 | 8.6 | 9.7 | 6.6 |
| Baseball | 520 | 351 | 170 | 2.0 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 6.2 |
| Volleyball | 513 | 210 | 304 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 11.1 |
| Skiing (downhill/alpine) | 490 | 267 | 223 | 1.9 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 8.1 |
| Cycling | 459 | 283 | 177 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.4 |
| Tennis | 403 | 237 | 166 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 6.0 |
| Curling | 294 | 163 | 131 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
| Snowboarding | 270 | 183 E | 86 E | 1.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 E | 3.1 E |
| Badminton | 268 | 170 | 98 E | 1.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 E |
| Softball | 265 | 188 | 77 E | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.8 |
| Football | 244 | 208 | F | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.6 | F |
| Skiing (cross-country/nordic) | 197 | 102 E | 95 E | 0.8 | 2.7 | 2.2 E | 3.5 |
| Bowling (10 pin) | 177 | 106 E | 72 E | 0.7 | 2.4 | 2.3 E | 2.6 |
| Mountain-boarding | 167 | 109 E | 58 E | 0.6 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Squash | 152 E | 109 E | F | 0.6 E | 2.1 E | 2.4 | F |
| Ball hockey | 128 E | 108 E | F | 0.5 E | 1.8 E | 2.4 | F |
| Bowling (5 pin) | 123 E | 47 | 75 E | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.7 E |
| Rugby | 116 E | 93 | F | 0.4 E | 1.6 E | 2.0 | F |
| Canoeing/kayaking | 93 E | 46 | 48 E | 0.4 E | 1.3 E | 1.0 E | 1.7 E |
| Martial arts | 88 E | 63 | F | 0.3 E | 1.2 E | 1.4 E | F |
| Snowshoeing | 73 E | 49 | F | 0.3 E | 1.0 E | 1.1 E | F |
| Gymnastics | 72 E | F | 49 E | 0.3 E | 1.0 E | F | 1.8 E |
| Karate | 72 E | F | F | 0.3 E | 1.0 E | F | F |
| Equestrian | 69 E | F | 63 E | 0.3 E | 0.9 E | F | 2.3 E |
| In-line hockey | 68 E | F | F | 0.3 E | 0.9 E | F | F |
| In-line skating | 67 E | F | F | 0.3 | 0.9 E | F | F |
| Below top 30 | 1,529 | 804 | 725 | 5.9 | 20.9 | 17.6 | 26.4 |
… not applicable
E use with caution
F too unreliable to be published
1. Respondents may report participation in more than one sport.
2. The percentage is calculated using the total Canadian population aged 15 years and older.
3. The percentage is calculated over the population in at least one sport – the 'active population'.
Source: General Social Survey, 2005.
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