Soccer leads Denmark with 399,390 registered members in 2025, ahead of Gymnastics and Fitness. Ranking of 8 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Denmark by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Counts unique memberships across Denmark’s three umbrella sport organizations DIF, DGI, and Dansk Firmaidraet, deduplicated so a person who belongs to more than one organization is counted only once, which makes the activity figures comparable to each other. The figures come from Danmarks Idraetsforbund (DIF), Idraetten i Tal 2025.
Soccer is on top, followed by Gymnastics and Fitness. The full table below covers 8 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Denmark
The table counts registered members, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable. The listed sports account for 2,842,139 in total. The reference year is 2025.
| # | Sport | Registered members | Governing body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer | 399,390 | Danish Football Association (Dansk Boldspil-Union, DBU) |
| 2 | Gymnastics | 326,055 | Danish Gymnastics and Fitness Federation (Danmarks Gymnastik- og Fitnessforbund) |
| 3 | Fitness | 284,795 | Danish Gymnastics and Fitness Federation (Danmarks Gymnastik- og Fitnessforbund) |
| 4 | Swimming | 276,337 | Danish Swimming Federation (SvomDanmark) |
| 5 | Golf | 174,773 | Danish Golf Union (Dansk Golf Union) |
| 6 | Tennis | 81,679 | Danish Tennis Federation (Dansk Tennis Forbund) |
| 7 | Shooting | 60,537 | Danish Shooting Union (Dansk Skytte Union) |
| 8 | Running | 52,255 | Danish Athletics Federation (Dansk Atletik Forbund) |
One caveat applies to every ranking of this kind: someone who plays two sports is counted twice, once in each federation, and sports people mostly do on their own, such as running or hiking, barely show up at all.
Most Played and Most Watched Are Not the Same Sport
Membership and license numbers tell you what people do. Audience figures tell you what they watch, and the two lists rarely have the same sport on top.
| Sport | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Handball | 2,115,540 | The 2025 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship final was watched by a combined average of 2,115,540 viewers across Denmark’s two main broadcasters, DR and TV2. |
Is There a National Sport of Denmark?
Denmark has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Denmark has no sport established as national sport by law or government decree; the country’s official information portal denmark.dk instead describes handball, invented in Denmark, as a defining national passion.
- Handball. Denmark.dk frames handball as the country’s most distinctive sport, noting it was invented in Denmark and is followed with intense national enthusiasm, especially around the national teams.
Sports That Were Invented in Denmark
- Handball. Modern handball was invented in Denmark in 1898 by gym teacher Holger Nielsen, who devised the sport as a variant of outdoor team ball games for his students.
- Danish Longball (Langbold). Danish Longball, a bat and ball game that predates and influenced Danish baseball, had its written rules first published in Copenhagen in 1876.
#1 Soccer
- Registered members: 399,390 (Danish Football Association (Dansk Boldspil-Union, DBU), 2025)
- Top national league: Danish Superliga
- Best known athlete: Christian Eriksen. Eriksen holds the record for the most caps for the Denmark national team with 151 appearances and has repeatedly served as team captain
Soccer is the largest organized sport in Denmark by membership, counted across the country’s main sport organizations. In 2025 it had 399,390 members, down from 405,487 the previous year, a decline of 6,097 members.
The sport is organized nationally by the Danish Football Association, and its top domestic competition is the Danish Superliga. Christian Eriksen, one of the most capped players in Denmark’s history, has repeatedly captained the national team.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Gymnastics
- Registered members: 326,055 (Danish Gymnastics and Fitness Federation (Danmarks Gymnastik- og Fitnessforbund), 2025)
Gymnastics is the second largest organized activity in Denmark, with 326,055 members in 2025, up from 318,080 the previous year, an increase of 7,975 members.
The activity is organized nationally by the Danish Gymnastics and Fitness Federation and is especially popular among children, with recent growth concentrated among young participants.
Latest Posts about Gymnastics
#3 Fitness
- Registered members: 284,795 (Danish Gymnastics and Fitness Federation (Danmarks Gymnastik- og Fitnessforbund), 2025)
Fitness is the third largest organized activity in Denmark, reaching 284,795 members in 2025, up from 265,905 the previous year, an increase of 18,890 members.
It was the activity with the largest membership growth of any activity tracked in the DIF report for 2025, with the increase concentrated among adults.
#4 Swimming
- Registered members: 276,337 (Danish Swimming Federation (SvomDanmark), 2025)
Swimming had 276,337 members in Denmark in 2025, up from 263,473 the previous year, an increase of 12,864 members.
The growth was concentrated among adults, while membership among younger age groups declined over the same period, according to the DIF report.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#5 Golf
- Registered members: 174,773 (Danish Golf Union (Dansk Golf Union), 2025)
- Best known athlete: Nicolai Hojgaard. Hojgaard won the season ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in 2023, holding off fellow Danish and European golfers to claim the title
Golf is the fifth largest organized activity in Denmark, with 174,773 members in 2025, up from 172,503 the previous year, an increase of 2,270 members.
The Danish Golf Union organizes the sport nationally. Nicolai Hojgaard won the season ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, holding off fellow Danish and European golfers to claim the title.
Latest Posts about Golf
#6 Tennis
- Registered members: 81,679 (Danish Tennis Federation (Dansk Tennis Forbund), 2025)
- Best known athlete: Holger Rune. Rune is the highest ranked Danish men’s tennis player in the ATP era and won the Paris Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 title, in 2022
Tennis had 81,679 members in Denmark in 2025, down from 83,863 the previous year, a decline of 2,184 members.
Despite the decrease, tennis remains among the larger organized activities in the country. Holger Rune is the highest ranked Danish men’s tennis player of the ATP ranking era and has won the Paris Masters, one of the tour’s biggest annual tournaments.
Latest Posts about Tennis
#7 Shooting
- Registered members: 60,537 (Danish Shooting Union (Dansk Skytte Union), 2025)
Shooting had 60,537 members in Denmark in 2025, down from 62,125 the previous year, a decline of 1,588 members.
The activity has a majority of male members, and the DIF report notes the recent decline was spread across most adult age groups.
#8 Running
- Registered members: 52,255 (Danish Athletics Federation (Dansk Atletik Forbund), 2025)
Running had 52,255 members in Denmark in 2025, down from 54,766 the previous year, a decline of 2,511 members.
Part of the decline is attributed to falling membership at a small number of large clubs, according to the DIF report.
Latest Posts about Running
Sources
- Danmarks Idraetsforbund (DIF), Idraetten i Tal 2025
- International Handball Federation (IHF)
- Denmark.dk, the official portal of Denmark
- Danish Baseball and Softball Federation (Dansk Baseball og Softball Forbund)
- Danmarks Idraetsforbund (DIF), Idraetten i Tal 2025, Tabel 8
- Danmarks Idraetsforbund (DIF), Idraetten i Tal 2025, Tabel 8
- Danmarks Idraetsforbund (DIF), Idraetten i Tal 2025, Tabel 10
Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.
FAQ
What is the most popular sport in Denmark?
Soccer is the most popular organized sport in Denmark by membership, with 399,390 members in 2025 across the country’s main sport organizations. It has held the top spot for at least the past two years even though its membership declined slightly from 405,487 in 2024.
What is the third most popular sport in Denmark?
Fitness is the third most popular organized activity in Denmark, with 284,795 members in 2025. It ranks behind soccer with 399,390 members and gymnastics with 326,055 members.
What is the national sport of Denmark?
Denmark has no sport designated as national sport by law or government decree. The official portal denmark.dk instead describes handball, which was invented in Denmark in 1898, as the country’s defining sporting passion.
What are the 3 most popular sports in Denmark?
By membership, the three most popular organized sports in Denmark in 2025 were soccer with 399,390 members, gymnastics with 326,055 members, and fitness with 284,795 members.
What sports are popular in Denmark?
The largest organized sports and activities in Denmark by membership are soccer with 399,390 members, gymnastics with 326,055 members, fitness with 284,795 members, swimming with 276,337 members, and golf with 174,773 members, all figures from 2025. Handball, invented in Denmark in 1898, is widely regarded as the country’s most distinctive sport.
