According to the data released by the Regional Directorate for Sport on the demographics of sports associations, the Azores had 22,746 registered athletes in 46 sports last year.
 
In 2018, 15,777 male athletes (69.4%) and 6,969 female athletes (30.6%) competed in the Region, being the highest participation figures recorded in recent years.
 
Additionally, the data now released shows that training the training ranges represent the large majority of the registered athletes, standing at 76.18 %, which corresponds to 17,329 athletes.
 
The absolute participation rate (ratio between the number of registered athletes and the overall population) stood at 9.22%, a very significant figure in the national context. In turn, the potential sports participation rate (calculated on the resident population aged between 8 and 34) was 23.78%, thus decreasing compared to 2017 (24.71 %).
 
According to the data, there were 1,048 coaches working in regional sports associations and clubs, while the number of referees/judges reached 1,191.
 
In 2018, there were 1,595 leaders of sports associations and clubs.
 
The Regional Directorate for Sport has made available the data on the demographics of sports associations concerning the 2017-18 or 2018 seasons in accordance with the timeframe specified for each sport. The data may be consulted on the Regional government Portal at http://www.azores.gov.pt/Portal/pt/entidades/srec-drd/textoImagem/Demografia+Federada.htm.
 
The Demographics of Sports Associations corresponds to the systematisation, processing and assessment of a number of aspects that provide information on the development of regional sport in the context of sports associations and clubs.
 
The data provides information on athletes, coaches, referees and judges, leaders and other sports agents both in the context of the Region as a whole and in the context of each island, taking into consideration its population and a series of general assessment texts; the latter also provide an overview on the evolution of sport.
 
Moreover, the publication contains relevant features that characterise each sport in the overall regional context, highlighting the aspects that most represent the reality of sports in an island territory.
 
The data collection methodology involves the systematic provision of data by the various regional sports associations and clubs from each sport and their assessment by the respective federations.
 
The Regional Directorate for Sport aims to contribute to the characterisation of sport in the Azores, thus enabling a more informed decision-making by the regional administration on the goals set out in the Government's Programme as well as by other stakeholders with an active role in the development of sport.