Sydney, Oct 29 A new statistic has found that soccer is the most popular sport among young boys in Australia, followed by swimming and Aussie Rules.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures have taken into consideration the activities of 2.7 million children aged five to 14 in the country.

The figures show that soccer, with a 20 per cent participation rate, was the most popular sport for boys in that age bracket, while swimming had a participation rate of 17 per cent and 16 per cent of the boys played Aussie Rules.

Football Federation Australia spokeswoman Bonita Mersiades said the statistics reveal that soccer has a bright future in the country.

"The ABS data shows just how much Aussie children love football and how prominent the sport is in Australian culture," The News.com.au quoted Mersiades, as saying.

Meanwhile, the statistics also found that swimming was the most popular sport for girls, with a participation rate of 20 per cent.

The figures also found that 17 per cent of girls played netball and eight per cent did gymnastics. (ANI)