The Most Popular Sports in Switzerland (Top 30 Ranked)

Swimming leads Switzerland with 38.6% share of population (15+) practicing the sport. Ranking of 30 sports, with sources.

This page ranks the sports of Switzerland by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Sport Schweiz 2020 asked a representative national sample which sports they practice, even occasionally, giving one consistent participation percentage per sport across the whole ranking. The figures come from Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.

Swimming is on top, followed by Alpine skiing and Running, jogging. The full table below covers 30 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Switzerland

The table counts share of population (15+) practicing the sport, 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 reference year is 2020.

#	Sport	Share of population (15+) practicing the sport	Governing body
1	Swimming	38.6%
2	Alpine skiing	34.9%	Swiss-Ski
3	Running, jogging	27.0%
4	Fitness training, group fitness	17.2%
5	Strength training	13.3%
6	Yoga, Pilates, body and mind	12.9%
7	Dancing	11.4%
8	Gymnastics	8.7%	Swiss Gymnastics (STV)
9	Mountain biking	7.9%	Swiss Cycling
10	Football (soccer)	7.7%	Swiss Football Association
11	Tennis	5.4%	Swiss Tennis
12	Snowboarding	5.3%	Swiss-Ski
13	Cross-country skiing	5.3%	Swiss-Ski
14	Climbing, mountaineering	3.5%	Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
15	Ski touring, snowboard touring	3.4%	Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
16	Snowshoeing	3.3%
17	Badminton	3.1%	Swiss Badminton
18	Volleyball, beach volleyball	2.8%	Swissvolley
19	Martial arts, self defense	2.5%
20	Table tennis	2.3%	Swiss Table Tennis
21	Golf	2.3%	Swiss Golf
22	Windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, SUP	2.1%
23	Ice skating	2.1%	Swiss Ice Skating
24	Horseback riding, equestrian sport	2.0%	Swiss Equestrian Federation
25	Aqua fitness	2.0%
26	Inline skating, roller skating	2.0%
27	Basketball	1.8%	Swiss Basketball
28	Floorball	1.7%	swiss unihockey
29	Squash	1.6%	Swiss Squash
30	Shooting sports	1.3%	Swiss Shooting Sport Federation

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
Football (soccer)	3,177,842	The 22 Super League and Challenge League clubs sold a combined record number of tickets in the 2024/25 season.
Alpine skiing	965,000	The men’s Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen was Swiss public television’s most watched broadcast of 2025.
Ice hockey	943,000	The men’s world championship final between Switzerland and the United States drew a large average television audience in Switzerland.

Is There a National Sport of Switzerland?

Switzerland has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No federal law or government decree formally designates an official national sport of Switzerland; the government’s own country portal instead calls skiing the national sport in an informal, descriptive sense.

• Alpine skiing. The federal government’s own portal about Switzerland describes skiing as the country’s national sport.
• Schwingen (Swiss wrestling). The Eidgenoessischer Schwingerverband, the sport’s own governing body, describes Schwingen on its history page as having grown out of the game of herdsmen and farmers into a national sport that reaches every part of society.
• Hornussen. Hornussen is described by Swiss public broadcaster SWI swissinfo.ch as one of Switzerland’s national sports, alongside Schwingen and Steinstossen.

Sports That Were Invented in Switzerland

• Schwingen (Swiss wrestling). Schwingen grew in Switzerland out of an alpine herdsmen’s and farmers’ game into an organized national sport; the Eidgenoessischer Schwingerverband was founded in 1895.
• Hornussen. Hornussen originated as a rural pastime in and around the Emmental region of Switzerland and developed into an organized sport during the 19th century.
• Bobsleigh. The world’s first bobsleigh club was founded in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1897, making organized bobsleigh a Swiss sporting export even though the sledding concept itself had been introduced earlier by English winter guests.

#1 Swimming

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 38.6% (2020)

Swimming was practiced by 38.6 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey conducted by the Federal Office of Sport BASPO, ranking it among the most widely practiced sports in the country once everyday movement such as walking and utility cycling is set aside.

The activity is spread across public and club pools throughout Switzerland and is practiced at all ages, reflecting the country’s dense network of indoor and outdoor swimming facilities documented in the same 2020 survey.

#2 Alpine skiing

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 34.9% (Swiss-Ski, 2020)
• Best known athlete: Marco Odermatt. Odermatt won the men’s overall Alpine Skiing World Cup title for a fifth consecutive time, as confirmed by Swiss-Ski’s own reporting on his 2025/26 season

Alpine skiing was practiced by 34.9 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey, making it the second most widely practiced sport in the country once hiking and utility cycling are excluded as everyday movement.

The sport benefits from Switzerland’s dense network of ski resorts, and the men’s downhill at Wengen drew a large television audience in January 2025 when Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen finished first and second, according to Swiss public broadcaster SRF’s year end report.

#3 Running, jogging

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 27.0% (2020)

Running and jogging were practiced by 27.0 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey, and the same study lists it as the leading sport measured by how often it serves as a person’s main sporting activity.

The activity requires no club membership or special venue.

#4 Fitness training, group fitness

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 17.2% (2020)

Fitness training and group fitness classes were practiced by 17.2 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey, placing the category among the top sports by participation.

The Sport Schweiz 2020 report notes the activity is frequently carried out in commercial fitness centers rather than traditional sports clubs, distinguishing it from more club based sports in the same ranking.

#5 Strength training

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 13.3% (2020)

Strength training was practiced by 13.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey attributes part of this growth to the broader boom in gym based training documented across the Swiss population in the years leading up to the study.

#6 Yoga, Pilates, body and mind

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 12.9% (2020)

Yoga, Pilates and related body and mind practices were reported by 12.9 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey counts these disciplines together as one group because participants in the underlying sample frequently practice more than one of them interchangeably.

#7 Dancing

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 11.4% (2020)

Dancing was practiced by 11.4 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey also records that dancing has a comparatively high share of club affiliated participants among the activities discussed here, second only to gymnastics.

#8 Gymnastics

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 8.7% (Swiss Gymnastics (STV), 2020)

Gymnastics was practiced by 8.7 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey found gymnastics has the highest rate of club membership among all sports it measured.

#9 Mountain biking

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 7.9% (Swiss Cycling, 2020)

Mountain biking was practiced by 7.9 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey lists mountain biking separately from general recreational cycling, reflecting its status as a distinct discipline with its own trail infrastructure across the Swiss Alps and Jura.

#10 Football (soccer)

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 7.7% (Swiss Football Association, 2020)
• Top national league: Super League
• Best known athlete: Xherdan Shaqiri. Shaqiri was named Torschützenkönig (top scorer) of the Credit Suisse Super League while playing for FC Basel, the first Swiss born player to win the award since Albian Ajeti in the 2017/18 season, according to the Swiss Football League

Football was practiced by 7.7 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey, and the Swiss Football Association runs the club system with the largest membership of any Swiss Olympic member federation, according to Swiss Olympic’s own membership statistics.

Attendance has been rising in the professional game as well, with the Super League and Challenge League clubs together selling a record number of tickets in the most recent season, according to the Swiss Football League.

#11 Tennis

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 5.4% (Swiss Tennis, 2020)
• Best known athlete: Roger Federer. Federer won 20 Grand Slam singles titles over his career, comprising 8 Wimbledon, 6 Australian Open, 5 US Open and 1 French Open championship, according to the Roland Garros tournament’s own retrospective on his career

Tennis was practiced by 5.4 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The sport is closely associated internationally with Roger Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles during his career before retiring, according to the official Roland Garros tournament website.

#12 Snowboarding

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 5.3% (Swiss-Ski, 2020)

Snowboarding was practiced by 5.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey records snowboarding as only rarely a participant’s main sport, indicating it is mostly practiced alongside other winter sports rather than as a primary activity.

#13 Cross-country skiing

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 5.3% (Swiss-Ski, 2020)

Cross-country skiing was practiced by 5.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey records a comparatively low average number of outings per year for the sport, reflecting its concentration in the winter season across the Swiss Alps and Jura.

#14 Climbing, mountaineering

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 3.5% (Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), 2020)
• Best known athlete: Petra Klingler. Klingler won the 2022 IFSC Ice Climbing World Championship title in the Lead discipline in Saas-Fee, as reported by the regional newspaper Südostschweiz

Climbing and mountaineering were practiced by 3.5 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

Switzerland’s mountainous terrain has produced internationally competitive climbers such as Petra Klingler, who won the 2022 Ice Climbing World Championship title in Saas-Fee, according to regional press coverage of the event.

#15 Ski touring, snowboard touring

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 3.4% (Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), 2020)

Ski touring and snowboard touring were practiced by 3.4 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey records the activity as rarely a participant’s primary sport, suggesting most practitioners combine it with downhill skiing or other winter sports.

#16 Snowshoeing

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 3.3% (2020)

Snowshoeing was practiced by 3.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey describes the activity as an occasional winter pastime rather than a regularly trained sport for most of the people who practice it.

#17 Badminton

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 3.1% (Swiss Badminton, 2020)

Badminton was practiced by 3.1 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey lists badminton as a main sport for only a small share of the population, indicating it is mostly played casually rather than competitively.

#18 Volleyball, beach volleyball

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 2.8% (Swissvolley, 2020)

Volleyball and beach volleyball were practiced by 2.8 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey found club affiliation among volleyball participants is lower than in more traditionally club based sports covered by the same study.

#19 Martial arts, self defense

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 2.5% (2020)

Martial arts and self defense disciplines were practiced together by 2.5 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey records the category as a main sport for a comparatively high share of its participants, suggesting many train regularly rather than occasionally.

#20 Table tennis

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 2.3% (Swiss Table Tennis, 2020)

Table tennis was practiced by 2.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey records the sport as practiced on only a few days per year on average, reflecting a mostly casual pattern of play among the Swiss population.

#21 Golf

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 2.3% (Swiss Golf, 2020)

Golf was practiced by 2.3 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, according to the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey recorded golf among the sports with the longest annual time commitment per participant of any activity in this ranking.

#22 Windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, SUP

• Share of population (15+) practicing the sport: 2.1% (2020)

Windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing and stand up paddling were practiced together by 2.1 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over in 2020, per the Sport Schweiz survey.

The 2020 survey groups these board sports together because they are practiced on Switzerland’s lakes under similar conditions and frequently by the same participants.

Sources

• Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.
• Swiss Football League (SFL)
• Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF), Jahresbilanz 2025
• Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA), About Switzerland
• Eidgenoessischer Schwingerverband, esv.ch
• SWI swissinfo.ch
• Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club
• Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.
• Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.
• Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.
• Bürgi, R., Lamprecht, M. & Stamm H.P. (2021): Sport Schweiz 2020: Factsheets Sportarten. Magglingen: Bundesamt für Sport BASPO.

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.

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