The following is a summary of important swimming statistics in England. Please click on the relevant links for further information about a certain region. In the previous year, 14 million adults (31.3 percent of the population) went swimming, with 7.8 million women and 6.2 million men participating. The most popular sport for women is swimming, followed by tennis. For men, it's running followed by football. Among all age groups, children aged five to 17 make up nearly one-third of all swimmers. Almost half of all female swimmers say sportsmanship is very important when they swim, compared to 36 percent of male swimmers. When it comes to personality traits needed to be a good swimmer, versatility is the most desired quality among both men and women. Ability to adapt your technique as well as mental toughness are also considered important by many swimmers. Looking at the number of clubs in each region, we can see that there are more than 10,000 across England. This means there's always somewhere for you to swim if you know how to find it! The North West has the highest percentage (46 percent) of participants who have been going to their local pool for more than ten years. This is probably because it provides opportunities for long-term development through coaching and training.