Survey says: swimming is the most popular physical activity among Canadian children

Swimming is the most popular organized sport or physical activity among Canadian children, according to a new survey.

The Sports360 study was conducted by The Strategic Counsel and the field window was March and April 2025.

It found that 73 per cent of Canadian youth between the ages of three and 17 are participating in at least one organized physical activity.

Twenty-three per cent of respondents say their children are regularly engaging in some kind of swimming.

Soccer (20 per cent), hockey (10 per cent) and basketball (10 per cent) were the next most popular options.

The Strategic Counsel notes that overall youth participation levels are higher than their past research, despite concerns about affordability.

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Organized participation in swimming, soccer and basketball are strong for both boys and girls. Creative movement disciplines like dance and gymnastics are also popular among girls, with participation levels in the 11-14 per cent range each.

Swimming, soccer and basketball are also the top three participation sports for youth in the households of new Canadians, while hockey is further down the list for those families but is still in the top 10.

Parents and caregivers spent an average of $1,564 annually per child on sports according to the survey. Those costs included clothing, gear, lessons or team fees and transportation.

A total of 3,240 interviews were conducted via online and mobile channels using a representative national panel in the spring of 2025 with Canadians aged 18 and older, in both official languages.

Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.