Global Sport Economy
The sport economy in one number, and why it is the wrong one to stop at
About 2.3 trillion US dollars a year in revenue. What the figure covers, what it leaves out, and what it means for anyone building a business in sport.
The World Economic Forum, with Oliver Wyman, estimates the broad sport economy at about 2.3 trillion US dollars a year in revenue (January 2026). Sports tourism is the largest part, at about 672 billion, followed by sporting goods at 614 billion and participation at 560 billion. Professional sport, the part most people see, is about 140 billion.
What the number covers
It is a revenue estimate from a model. It is not GDP, not an audited total and not the value of clubs or venues. The same research projects about 3.7 trillion by 2030.
What it means
Most of the money in sport is spent by people who travel, buy and play. A meeting about the business of sport that only gathers leagues and media misses most of it. That is why the Forum brings capital, production, technology, infrastructure, institutions and talent into the same four days.
Sources
World Economic Forum with Oliver Wyman, Sports for People and Planet, 15 January 2026. Consultancy Middle East, 3 February 2026.
Sources and further reading
- World Economic Forum with Oliver Wyman, Sports for People and Planet (January 2026)
- Oliver Wyman, full report (PDF)
- Oliver Wyman, the sports economy for people and planet (February 2026)
Photograph: Pexels, licensed. No person shown is connected with the Forum.
