Female Basketball Participation Soars in Spain for 2024
Basketball has solidified its status as the top sport for women in Spain, with substantial growth in participation in 2024.
Key Points
- • Basketball has over 157,000 female licenses, a 12% increase from last year.
- • Football grew by only 1.84%, totaling 109,874 female licenses.
- • The overall number of sports licenses in Spain slightly decreased by 0.24% in 2024.
- • Basketball has maintained its lead in female participation since 2007.
In 2024, basketball emerged as the leading sport for women in Spain, recording over 157,000 female licenses, reflecting a 12% increase from the previous year. This surge stands in stark contrast to football, which saw only a modest 1.84% rise in female participation, totaling 109,874 licenses. According to the Annual Report on Federated and High-Competition Sports published by the Consejo Superior de Deportes, despite a minor overall decline of 0.24% in total sports licenses in Spain—to about 4.31 million—women's basketball continues to thrive.
Elisa Aguilar, president of the Spanish Basketball Federation, expressed her satisfaction with the growth of female participation, stating, "We are very satisfied with the number of licenses. This confirms basketball as the preferred sport for Spanish women." Basketball's position has remained unchallenged since data collection started in 2007, marking it as the clear favorite among female athletes—36% of women's sports licenses are attributed to basketball, vastly outnumbering football’s mere 8%.
The 2024 statistics highlight the enduring popularity of women's basketball and its ability to attract newcomers amidst a backdrop of fluctuating sports participation rates across Spain. With 28,500 new licenses added, basketball's appeal shows no signs of waning, establishing a significant lead over other sports as female athletes increasingly choose this discipline over others like judo and triathlon, which have faced declines.