In 2017, the EU’s 28 Member States spent €51.3 billion of government expenditure on recreation and sport. Overall, in the EU, the general government expenditure on recreation and sport has remained stable as a percentage of total expenditure since the beginning of the time series in 2004.
Hungary spent 2.5% of its GDP on sport and recreation, followed by Estonia (1.4%) and Luxembourg (1.2%).
The lowest recreation and sport expenditure per head was recorded in Croatia (€13 per inhabitant) and Bulgaria (€16), followed by Slovakia (€23), Romania (€25), Lithuania (€31) and Malta (€32).
Despite having withdrawn its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, Budapest was named as the European Capital of Sport in 2019 by the European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation (ACES Europe). Hungary’s capital has also hosted several high-profile international tournaments, including the 2017 FINA World Championships and the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships.
The total government expenditure on recreation and sport across all 28 EU member states in 2017 stood at €51.3 billion.
Overall, in the EU, the general government expenditure on recreation and sport has remained stable as a percentage of total expenditure since the beginning of the time series in 2004, Eurostat said.
