Swimming has become the most popular type of sport undertaken by adults in Ireland, beating Gaelic football and soccer, a new report shows.

According to Swimming in Ireland: A Statistical Analysis, which was carried out by the ESRI, almost 7% of adults aged 16 and over - that is 230,000 people - swim every week, making it more popular than Gaelic games, soccer and golf.

The findings are based on three separate surveys and over 70,000 interviews. They show that most swimmers go to the pool once or twice a week for 30 to 60 minutes.

They also show that more females than males swim and young adults swim more than their parents did.

According to one of the report's author, economist Dr Pete Lunn, the results suggest that swimming ‘makes an important contribution to public health'.

"Swimming can be undertaken by a broad range of people of different abilities and fitness levels, so the promotion of swimming can play a key role in policy to increase physical activity," he explained.

However, the report notes that there is a socio-economic divide when it comes to the sport. Those with higher levels of education and those in higher skilled jobs are more likely to be regular swimmers.

As a result, the report says that policymakers should attempt to increase participation among those in lower socio-economic groups.

Among young adults, there appears to be a gender gap, which is influenced by motivation. Young men appear to be more interested in performance and competition, leading them to choose more competitive sports. Young women appear to be more driven by health issues, leading them to choose swimming.

However, as men get older and become more concerned about their health, this gender gap starts to disappear.

Meanwhile, the report also pointed out that a greater participation in sport by women could have a knock-on effect for the next generation. It found people are more likely to become regular swimmers if their mothers regularly took part in sport or exercised.

The report found that participation in swimming was highest in the West and the border counties. While demand for more pools is greatest in the Mideast region. It says that this may be because this area saw a big increase in population during the boom years.

The report was jointly published by the ESRI, the Irish Sports Council and Swim Ireland.