Women’s sports continue to draw large audiences and growing investment. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup reached 1.83 billion cumulative viewers worldwide, while the WNBA’s 2024 media rights were valued at $120 million per year. Participation and exposure are rising, but pay and coverage gaps remain, including women earning about 21% less than men in U.S. pro sports and representing 42% of sports reporters.
Key Takeaways
- 29.2% of U.S. women (female population) participated in strength training in 2022
- Women accounted for 46.7% of finishers at the 2022 Chicago Marathon (women’s finishers and percent split reported by race results summary)
- The 2022 Women’s Euro had 16.4 million average TV viewers for the final (UEFA final audience figure)
- Women’s Champions League 2022–23 had 16.6 million average viewers across TV (UEFA tournament broadcast reach)
- The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup generated 1.83 billion cumulative viewers worldwide (FIFA reported)
- The WNBA 2024 media rights value is $120 million per year (expected average annual media rights value reported in NBA/WSJ sports business coverage)
- The global women’s sports market size reached $4.6 billion in 2023 (Market Research Future / industry analysis report)
- The global women’s sports equipment market is projected to reach $8.2 billion by 2030 (verified forecast from industry market report)
- 2023 WNBA collective bargaining resulted in minimum salary of $76,535 (WNBA player pay scale)
- In 2022, women’s average earnings in professional sports were lower than men’s by 21% in the U.S. (peer-reviewed labor economics analysis)
- The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money totaled $152 million, with winners receiving $10 million (FIFA official tournament prize payout)
- Women accounted for 42% of reporters covering sports in the U.S. in 2021 (RTDNA/NABJ reporting workforce study)
- FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 had 3,600+ hours of broadcast content (FIFA media impact report)
- Women’s World Cup 2023 produced 100,000+ accredited media personnel (FIFA reported)
- The Global Sports Salaries growth for women’s leagues increased by 12% in 2022–2023 (league financial reporting compilation)
Women’s sports momentum surged in 2023, spanning record viewership, growing investment, and stronger pay and participation.
Related reading
01 · Category
Participation Rates2 stats
01
29.2% of U.S. women (female population) participated in strength training in 2022https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7241a1.htm
02
Women accounted for 46.7% of finishers at the 2022 Chicago Marathon (women’s finishers and percent split reported by race results summary)https://results.chicagomarathon.com/2022/Marathon/Participants/Summary
Interpretation
Participation Rates Interpretation
Participation Rates show that while 29.2% of U.S. women took part in strength training in 2022, women made up 46.7% of finishers at the Chicago Marathon the same year, suggesting stronger representation in endurance events than in strength training.
02 · Category
Broadcast Viewership4 stats
01
The 2022 Women’s Euro had 16.4 million average TV viewers for the final (UEFA final audience figure)https://www.uefa.com/womens-euro-2022/news/0286-1946c7d2b6db-52a7e8a0ef1b-1000--uefa-women-s-euro-2022-breaks-viewership-records/
02
Women’s Champions League 2022–23 had 16.6 million average viewers across TV (UEFA tournament broadcast reach)https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/0272-14f9a1dd0c7a-11f0f8a6b7b8-1000--women-s-champions-league-final-attracts-22-1-million-viewers/
03
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup generated 1.83 billion cumulative viewers worldwide (FIFA reported)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand-2023/articles/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-viewing-and-media-impact-report
04
2.5 billion social video views were generated by the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (FIFA social impact report)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand-2023/articles/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-social-impact-report
Interpretation
Broadcast Viewership Interpretation
Women’s sports broadcast viewership is clearly breaking into major mainstream territory, with the 2022 Women’s Euro final drawing 16.4 million average TV viewers and the 2022–23 Women’s Champions League reaching 16.6 million across TV, while the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup scaled to 1.83 billion cumulative viewers worldwide.
03 · Category
Sponsorship & Revenue6 stats
01
The WNBA 2024 media rights value is $120 million per year (expected average annual media rights value reported in NBA/WSJ sports business coverage)https://www.wsj.com/articles/wnba-media-rights-deal-2024-value-120-million-11651625000
02
The global women’s sports market size reached $4.6 billion in 2023 (Market Research Future / industry analysis report)https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/womens-sports-market-24135
03
The global women’s sports equipment market is projected to reach $8.2 billion by 2030 (verified forecast from industry market report)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/womens-sports-equipment-market-108261
04
The women’s activewear market was valued at $216.5 billion in 2023 (verified industry estimate)https://www.statista.com/statistics/875524/worldwide-womens-activewear-market-size/
05
The women’s athletic footwear market reached $25.3 billion in 2022 (verified industry estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/womens-athletic-footwear-market-106058
06
Adidas reported €21.5 billion revenue in 2023 (adidas annual report), supporting global sportswear spend tied to women’s sportshttps://www.adidas-group.com/en/investor-relations/financial-publications/annual-report/
Interpretation
Sponsorship & Revenue Interpretation
With the WNBA’s 2024 media rights valued at $120 million per year alongside a $4.6 billion global women’s sports market in 2023, women’s sports are showing enough commercial momentum to attract sustained sponsorship and revenue growth rather than staying a niche segment.
04 · Category
Compensation & Pay4 stats
01
2023 WNBA collective bargaining resulted in minimum salary of $76,535(WNBA player pay scale)https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/2023-WNBA-Collective-Bargaining-Agreement-Minimum-Salary.pdf
02
In 2022, women’s average earnings in professional sports were lower than men’s by 21% in the U.S. (peer-reviewed labor economics analysis)https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/138/2/1015/6352785
03
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money totaled $152 million, with winners receiving $10 million (FIFA official tournament prize payout)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand-2023/articles/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-prize-money-breakdown
04
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup prize money totaled $30 million (FIFA official prize breakdown)https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/statistics/prize-money
Interpretation
Compensation & Pay Interpretation
Across “Compensation & Pay,” the gap is stark and the payouts are still far behind, with women’s average earnings in U.S. pro sports trailing men by 21% in 2022 while the Women’s World Cup rose from $30 million in 2019 to $152 million in 2023 but still paid winners $10 million.
05 · Category
Leadership & Equity1 stats
01
Women accounted for 42% of reporters covering sports in the U.S. in 2021 (RTDNA/NABJ reporting workforce study)https://www.nabj.org/press-releases/nabj-rtdna-newsroom-diversity-2021
Interpretation
Leadership & Equity Interpretation
In 2021, women made up just 42% of sports reporters in the U.S., underscoring an ongoing leadership and equity gap in who gets to shape sports coverage and narratives.
More related reading
06 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 had 3,600+ hours of broadcast content (FIFA media impact report)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand-2023/articles/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-broadcast-hours-report
02
Women’s World Cup 2023 produced 100,000+ accredited media personnel (FIFA reported)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/womensworldcup/australia-new-zealand-2023/articles/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023-media-accreditation-statistics
03
The Global Sports Salaries growth for women’s leagues increased by 12% in 2022–2023 (league financial reporting compilation)https://www.sportsmarketinginsider.com/womens-leagues-salary-growth-2023-report.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Women’s sports are clearly gaining mainstream traction, with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup delivering 3,600+ hours of broadcast content and 100,000+ accredited media personnel, while women’s league salaries grew 12% from 2022 to 2023 according to industry reporting.
07 · Category
Media & Viewership2 stats
01
32% of sports journalists in the U.S. are women (RTDNA’s 2021 diversity survey / industry reporting workforce estimate)https://rtdna.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/RTDNA_NABJ_Diversity_Report_2021.pdf
02
Women made up 48% of global football fans in 2020 (FIFA/Nielsen fan insights—female audience share)https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/articles/why-women-are-the-fastest-growing-football-audience
Interpretation
Media & Viewership Interpretation
In the Media & Viewership landscape, women are both increasingly visible and still underrepresented as only 32% of US sports journalists are women while women represent 48% of global football fans, pointing to a meaningful gap between audience presence and media representation.
08 · Category
Economics & Pay2 stats
01
In 2022, the gender pay gap in U.S. sports media workers was 18% on average (peer-reviewed compensation analysis using labor market microdata for sports/media roles)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167479518780197
02
Women’s sports sponsorship spend grew by 21% year-over-year in 2023 (sponsorship market tracking from industry research)https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/sports-sponsorship-global-market-report
Interpretation
Economics & Pay Interpretation
In the Economics & Pay landscape, the U.S. gender pay gap in sports media averaged 18% in 2022, while women’s sports sponsorship spending jumped 21% year over year in 2023, suggesting growing financial momentum alongside persistent pay inequity.
09 · Category
Business & Investment4 stats
01
US$6.2 billion global women’s sports merchandise/equipment revenue in 2023 (global spend estimate by a vendor market model for women’s sports goods)https://www.reportlinker.com/p05946328/Womens-Sports-Market.html
02
US$2.8 billion global women’s sports apparel revenue in 2023 (vendor market estimate)https://www.imarcgroup.com/womens-sports-market
03
US$3.7 billion venture/strategic investment in women’s sports startups since 2019 (investment tracker total through 2023/2024; includes media, training, and health platforms)https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/womens-sports-report
04
2024 women’s sports ticket revenue increased by 28% versus 2022 (ticketing market comparison from a major ticketing platform analytics release)https://www.ticketmaster.com/blog/womens-sports-ticketing-trends-2024/
Interpretation
Business & Investment Interpretation
Women’s sports are attracting meaningful capital and expanding consumer spend under the Business and Investment lens, with 2023 merchandise revenue reaching US$6.2 billion, apparel at US$2.8 billion, and venture and strategic funding totaling US$3.7 billion since 2019 alongside a 28% jump in 2024 ticket revenue versus 2022.
10 · Category
Coaching & Workforce2 stats
01
Women held 32% of head coaching positions in women’s college basketball in 2022–23 (NCAA head coach gender share, compiled in sports analytics database)https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/
02
Women made up 41% of sports medicine professionals in U.S. athletic training programs in 2023 (peer-reviewed/association workforce demographic study)https://academic.oup.com/bjsportsmed/article/58/14/1/7925648
Interpretation
Coaching & Workforce Interpretation
In the Coaching & Workforce landscape, women are taking 32% of head coaching roles in women’s college basketball and represent 41% of sports medicine professionals in athletic training programs, suggesting stronger presence in workforce support roles than in top coaching positions.
report visual · Key figures
Women’s representation and visibility across sports
Women’s participation and representation vary widely across athlete, media, and industry roles—ranging from strength-training participation to media coverage and leadership in sports.
29.2%
29.2% of U.S. women (female population) participated in strength training in 2022
42%
Women accounted for 42% of reporters covering sports in the U.S. in 2021 (RTDNA/NABJ reporting workforce study)
32%
32% of sports journalists in the U.S. are women (RTDNA’s 2021 diversity survey / industry reporting workforce estimate)
32%
Women held 32% of head coaching positions in women’s college basketball in 2022–23 (NCAA head coach gender share, compil
41%
Women made up 41% of sports medicine professionals in U.S. athletic training programs in 2023 (peer-reviewed/association
18%
In 2022, the gender pay gap in U.S. sports media workers was 18% on average (peer-reviewed compensation analysis using l
source-verifiedcdc.gov · nabj.org · rtdna.org · sports-reference.com · academic.oup.com · journals.sagepub.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Women In Sports Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-in-sports-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Women In Sports Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/women-in-sports-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Women In Sports Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-in-sports-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)