As the Paris 2024 Olympics gets underway, UK Sport has published research which demonstrates the scale of the economic contribution that the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sport industry makes to UK plc.
The research, which was conducted by The Sport Consultancy, concludes that Olympic and Paralympic sports directly contributed £25.5 billion to the UK economy in 2021, the latest date for which detailed analysis is possible. This means that the sector is of an equivalent size to the UK’s water industry and bigger than the agriculture and fishing sector. When the wider, total economic impact of Olympic and Paralympic sports are taken into account, that contribution rises to £58.2 billion per year.
The research also demonstrates that the sector was directly responsible for nearly 500,000 jobs which is 3.4% of the UK’s workforce. Furthermore, the report identifies that more than two thirds of the economic impact generated by the Olympic and Paralympic sport sector is outside of London and the South East. 11% of the sector’s economic contribution comes in the North West of England, which is undoubtedly reflective of the importance of the Manchester region to Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK.
Sally Munday CEO of UK Sport said, "The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this summer will mark the pinnacle for a whole industry in the UK which powers the success of British athletes and supports them to pursue their dreams.
"This report shows that, as well as providing memorable moments which unite and inspire people right across the UK, Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK also makes a significant and direct contribution to our nation’s economy."
Download the Economic Impact of Olympic and Paralympic Sport Report in PDF format by clicking the button below.
Download Economic Impact of Olympic and Paralympic Sport Report