Swimming and running incorporate into a variety of sports. It can be hard to define which sport is more efficient at burning calories unless you look at the root activity. Even then, intensity and length of time impact the number of calories burned. The intensity of the running, in particular, significantly impacts the number of calories burned, making the answer slightly more complex.
Swimming Sports
Swimming sports vary, but include such sports as water polo and competitive swim. Competitive swim requires that you finish the length of a pool, similar to swimming laps. The Mayo Clinic states that one hour of swimming laps burns between 511 and 763 calories. The wide variation in calorie burn is attributable to the weight of the swimmer--you burn a lower number if you weigh less. For example, at 160 lbs., a swimmer can anticipate burning 511 calories for the same workout in which a 240-lb. swimmer burns 763 calories.
Water polo does not have a direct correlation to swimming laps. This competitive activity requires significant time spent treading water. However, water polo players must have superior conditioning and strength to succeed in the sport. This is because they burn between 590 and 931 calories in an hour, depending on their weight. For example, a 130-lb. player burns 590 calories, whereas a 205-lb. player burns 931 calories.
Running Sports
The critical piece of information you need to determine your calorie burn for a running sport is your intensity as well as the length of time for which you run. If you're walking, which is unlikely for the majority of running games but does occur, you burn 183 calories in an hour if you weigh 160 lbs., according to the Mayo Clinic. Ratchet up the intensity to a 3.5-mile-per-hour pace and you burn 277 calories at the same weight. Move up to a jog and you burn 584 calories in that same hour. Racers who maintain a fast pace of 8.5 mph burn 986 calories in that same hour.
What Burns More
Running sports generally burn more calories, assuming that you maintain an intense pace. A 155-lb. runner moving at a pace of 8 mph burns approximately 950 calories in an hour. That same hour burns 704 calories in a 160-lb. water polo player.
Considerations
To a certain extent, these intensity levels are deceptive. A runner may not be able to maintain this pace for the full hour and a water polo player can't play at full steam for the full game. Keep in mind that finding an activity or sport that you enjoy is more critical to your overall health than the relatively minor differences between sports in terms of calorie burn.
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