Islamabad: Nearly two-thirds of Pakistanis remained physically inactive in terms of sports participation over the past year, with 67 percent reporting that they did not play any sport, while cricket emerged as the country’s most popular game among the active minority, according to a nationwide Gallup & Gilani Pakistan survey.
The survey, released on June 18, 2026, found that only a minority of Pakistanis participated in sports during the previous year, reflecting limited engagement in physical activities across the country.
According to the nationally representative survey of adult Pakistanis, 16 percent of respondents said they had played cricket during the past year, making it the most widely played sport. Volleyball ranked second with five percent participation, followed by football at four percent. Two percent said they played badminton, while hockey attracted only one percent of respondents and less than one percent reported playing tennis.
Overall, 67 percent of Pakistanis said they had not participated in any sport during the previous 12 months, while seven percent either did not know or declined to answer.
Gallup & Gilani researchers said the findings indicate that sports participation remains limited in Pakistan despite cricket’s overwhelming popularity among those who are physically active.
The survey also examined how frequently active individuals participated in sports. Among respondents who said they had played any sport during the previous year, 14 percent reported playing as recently as the previous day, while 23 percent said they had played during the preceding week.
Another 13 percent said they had played during the current month, whereas 24 percent reported participating in sports sometime during the previous six months, suggesting that many people engage only occasionally rather than regularly.
About 26 percent of respondents either did not know or did not provide a response regarding the timing of their most recent sports activity.
The findings suggest that while a small proportion of Pakistanis remain regularly involved in sports, the majority either participate infrequently or do not engage in any sporting activity at all, highlighting the limited culture of recreational and physical activity in the country.