Data extracted in January 2025.
Planned article update: April 2026.
After years of moderate price increases, the annual average rate of change for prices of recreational and sporting services in the EU rose by 4.7% in 2022, accelerating further by 6.1% in 2023 and still remaining high at 5.2% in 2024.
After higher rates in 2022 and 2023, prices for 'equipment for camping and open-air recreation' in the EU increased by 1.3% in 2024, a value below the 1.6% registered in 2021.
The all-items HICP and the HICPs for sporting goods and services, EU, 2014-2024
This article gives an overview of how prices of recreational and sporting goods and services have changed based on the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP).
HICP for sporting goods and services – trends at EU level
In addition to the headline inflation aggerate, the 'all-items HICP', there are around 400 sub-indices for different goods and services. The article focuses on two categories and four sub-categories which are directly related to sport:
Over an 11-year period, between 2014 and 2024, the annual average rate of change for prices of 'recreational and sporting services' in the European Union (EU) was 3.0%, which was 0.3 percentage points faster than for the all-items HICP (2.7%). This annual average rate of change was significantly influenced by the accelerating inflation from 2022 onwards. The annual rate of change of the 'recreational and sporting services' index was 4.7% in 2022, 6.1% in 2023 and 5.2% in 2024. Before 2022, the annual average rate of change stayed around 2% (see Figure 1).
The annual average rate of change for prices for 'equipment for sport, camping and open-air recreation' increased annually on average by 0.9% between 2014 and 2024. Similarly to the sports service prices, this index increased at a much faster pace from 2022 onwards, peaking at 3.8% in 2022 and remaining at 3.4% in 2023. In 2024, however, the annual average rate of change for this category returned to its previous values, dropping to 1% compared to 2023.
Source: Eurostat (prc_hicp_aind)
The annual average rate of change shows that prices for 'recreational and sporting services – participation' and 'recreational and sporting services – attendance' rose on average from 2019 to 2024 by 4.2% and 3.7%, respectively, in the EU as a whole. The annual average rates of change for the same period were lower for 'equipment for camping and open-air recreation' and 'equipment for sport', 2.8% and 1.8%, respectively (see Figure 2).
Prices increased faster between 2023 and 2024 than they did on average between 2019 and 2024 for 'recreational and sporting services – participation' and 'recreational and sporting services – attendance' (5.2% both from 2023 to 2024). Conversely, the rate of change for 2024 compared to 2023 was slower for 'equipment for camping and open-air recreation' (1.3% compared to 2.8% in 2019-2024) and 'equipment for sport' (0.9% compared to 1.8% in 2019-2024).
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Source: Eurostat (prc_hicp_aind)
HICP for sporting goods and services – focus on countries
All EU countries recorded an increase in the all-items HICP in 2024 compared to 2019. In 15 EU countries, the 2019-2024 HICP annual average rate of change was below the EU average of 4.3%, with the smallest increase seen in Denmark, Cyprus and Finland (3.0%). Between 2023 and 2024, the rate of change of the all-items HICP was 2.6% in the EU, with 13 countries experiencing lower inflation rates during this period.
Between 2019 and 2024, the annual average growth rate in the prices of 'equipment for sport' was slower than the overall inflation rate in all EU countries except for Malta. During this period prices of 'equipment for sport' fell in 6 EU countries, notably in Portugal (-4.4% per year). An increase in the annual rate of change from 2019 to 2024 for 'equipment for camping and open-air recreation' sub-index was observed in 15 EU countries (data were not available for seven countries). Between 2019 and 2024, average prices for this category rose faster than the headline inflation rate only in France. From 2023 to 2024 the price index decreased in 12 EU countries for 'equipment for sport' category and in 10 EU countries for 'equipment for camping and open-air recreation'.
Between 2019 and 2024, prices for both recreational and sporting services increased in all EU countries where data were available. The biggest increases were recorded in Czechia (11.2%) for 'recreational and sporting services – attendance' and in Hungary (10.0%) for 'recreational and sporting services – participation'. From 2023 to 2024 Portugal was the only EU country experiencing a decrease for 'recreational and sporting services – attendance' (-1.0%): for this index, during the same period, Croatia (29.6%) and Czechia (14.8%) recorded a double-digit increase.
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Source: Eurostat (prc_hicp_aind)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources and methodology
Eurostat publishes harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICPs), which provides a comparable measure of inflation for EU Member States and various products and services. These indices measure changes over time for prices of consumer goods and services bought by households.
The HICP uses the European classification of individual consumption according to purpose adapted to the needs of the HICP (ECOICOP-HICP). The following items belong to ECOICOP 'Equipment for sport, camping and open-air recreation':
- Equipment for sport:
- gymnastic, physical education and sport equipment such as balls, shuttlecocks, nets, rackets, bats, skis, golf clubs, foils, sabres, poles, weights, discuses, javelins, dumb-bells, chest expanders and other body-building equipment;
- parachutes and other sky-diving equipment;
- firearms and ammunition for hunting, sport and personal protection;
- fishing rods and other equipment for fishing;
- equipment for beach and open-air games, such as bowls, croquet, frisbee, volleyball, and inflatable boats, rafts and swimming pools;
- game-specific footwear (ski boots, football boots, golfing shoes and other such footwear fitted with ice-skates, rollers, spikes, studs, etc.);
- protective headgear for sports;
- other protective gear for sports such as life jackets, boxing gloves, body padding, shin-guards, goggles, belts, supports, etc.
- Equipment for camping and open-air recreation:
- tents, sleeping bags, backpacks includes air mattresses and inflating pumps, camping stoves, barbecues and other accessories related to camping.
The following items belong to ECOICOP-HICP 'Recreational and sporting services':
- Recreational and sporting services — Attendance:
- services provided by sports stadiums, horse-racing courses, motor-racing circuits, velodromes, etc. for the attendance of a sportive or recreational event;
- services provided by fairgrounds and amusement parks.
- Recreational and sporting services — Participation:
- skating rinks, swimming pools, golf courses, gymnasia, fitness centres, tennis courts, squash courts and bowling alleys;
- roundabouts, see-saws and other playground facilities for children;
- pin-ball machines and other games for adults other than games of chance;
- ski slopes, ski lifts and the like;
- hire of equipment and accessories for sport and recreation, such as aeroplanes, boats, horses, skiing and camping equipment;
- out-of-school individual or group lessons in bridge, chess, aerobics, dancing, music, skating, skiing, swimming or other pastimes;
- services of mountain guides, tour guides, etc.;
- navigational aid services for boating;
- hire of game-specific footwear (ski boots, football boots, golfing shoes and other such footwear fitted with ice-skates, rollers, spikes, studs, etc.).
Context
The multiannual work programme (EU Work plan for Sport for 2024-2027), agreed by the EU Council, sets the priorities and principles for cooperation on sport between the European Commission and the Member States.
Several expert groups have been set up to achieve concrete results. Among them, the Expert Group on the Economic Dimension of Sport (XG ECO) and the Expert Group on Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (XG HEPA) play a key role in implementing evidence-based policies in the sports sector. XG ECO, for example, has developed an economic definition of sport ('Vilnius definition'), and made progress towards developing Sport Satellite Accounts in some EU countries. XG HEPA is working on implementing the Council recommendations on physical activity adopted in 2013. These include a monitoring framework with indicators both for the level of physical activity and for policies to promote physical activity in EU countries. Eurostat comparable data on international trade, employment in sport, participation in sporting activities, etc. make a valuable contribution to the monitoring and development of the EU's policies in this area.
Explore further
Other articles
- Employment in sport
- International trade in sporting goods
- Enterprises in the sports sector
- Household expenditure on sporting goods and services
- Sport participation - practicing sport and physical activity
- Sport participation - attending live sporting events
- HICP methodology (background article)
- Culture (all Statistics Explained articles on culture)
Database
- Private households expenditure on sport (sprt_exp)
- HICP - annual data (average index and rate of change) (prc_hicp_aind)
- HICP - monthly data (index) (prc_hicp_midx)
Methodology
- Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) Methodological manual – 2024 edition
- Harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) (ESMS metadata file — prc_hicp_esms)
- Vilnius definition of sport