Between November 2023 and November 2024, fitness classes emerged as the most popular sport activity in England. Roughly 6.7 million people participated in the activity at least twice a month during that period.

In 2023, around **** percent of the UK population aged over 16 regularly participated in sport, representing a slight increase on the previous year. Overall, sport participation in the United Kingdom has generally risen since 2000.

Between November 2023 and November 2024, approximately *** million people participated in team sports in England. This marked an increase from the previous period, during which *** million individuals participated in team sports.

Percentage of the adult population participating in sports taken from Sport England's Active People Survey. The survey provides by far the largest sample size ever established for a sport and recreation survey and allows levels of detailed analysis previously unavailable. It identifies how participation varies from place to place and between different groups in the population. The spreadsheet shows regional data for two measures: 1+ session a week (at least 4 sessions of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes in the previous 28 days) 3+ sessions a week (at least 12 sessions of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes in the previous 28 days)

Active People Survey local area statistics on participation in sport and culture from December 2012 owards are available on Sport England’s website. Previous data is available below.

The latest set of local area statistics were published on 22 June 2012.

• This report presents local area statistics on participation in sport and active recreation using interim results from Sport England’s Active People Survey (APS) 6. Data published for County Councils and those authorities that have boosted samples will be based on Active People Survey data from April 2011 to April 2012.

• For the other authorities, the statistics are based on the 24 month period April 2010 to April 2012 giving a sample size of 1000. The report is accompanied by a workbook containing local area estimates.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/9143.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 6 Report: June 2012

Previous release: The latest set of local area statistics were published on 8 December 2011.

• This report presents local area statistics on participation in sport and active recreation using results from Sport England’s Active People Survey (APS) 5. Data published for County Councils and those authorities that have boosted samples will be based on Active People Survey data from October 2010 to October 2011.

• For the other authorities, the statistics are based on the 24 month period October 2009 to October 2011 giving a sample size of 1000. The report is accompanied by a workbook containing local area estimates.

08/12/11
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8681.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 5 Report: December 2011

Previous releases: The previous releases of local area statistics was published on the dates below and included data on participation in sport and culture.

16/06/11
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8221.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 5 Interim Report: June 2011

16/12/10
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7667.aspx">Local Area statistics on adult participation in sport and culture - Active People Survey 4

Previous releases issued as part of the monitoring of http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/7670.aspx">National Indicators 8, 9, 10 and 11 are available online

For further detail about the estimates please contact us by email via takingpart@culture.gsi.gov.uk

Between November 2023 and November 2024, over **** million women in England participated in sports or physical activity. This represented a slight increase over the previous survey period.

In 2023-24, around 91.4 percent of children in England participated in a sport. This remained unchanged from the previous year's participation rate.

Survey findings on sports participation in Northern Ireland Source agency: Culture, Arts and Leisure (Northern Ireland) Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Sports Bulletin

Data on total minutes of exercise, club membership, sports event attendance and opportunity to be physically active to Local Authority District level. Figures also provided for male and female.

Football is not only the most popular sport to watch and spectate in the United Kingdom (UK) and England, but also the most popular team sport to participate in. Between November 2023 and November 2024, roughly 2.2 million people in England played the sport. Football nation Being home to not only the biggest football league but the biggest and most successful sports league in the world, the Premier League, England has many football fans who support the sport with famous clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC or Manchester City. Champions League Some of these top tier clubs compete in the UEFA Champions League with other high division teams, primarily from the other ’Big Five’ football leagues in Europe, Germany, Spain, Italy and France. In 2023/24, Real Madrid came out as the victor, winning their 15th Champions League title that season.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which was established in September 2017, provides a world-leading approach to gathering data on how children engage with sport and physical activity. This school-based survey is the first and largest established physical activity survey with children and young people in England. It gives anyone working with children aged 5-16 key insight to help understand children's attitudes and behaviours around sport and physical activity. The results will shape and influence local decision-making as well as inform government policy on the PE and Sport Premium, Childhood Obesity Plan and other cross-departmental programmes. More general information about the study can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.

Due to the closure of school sites during the coronavirus pandemic, the Active Lives Children and Young People survey was adapted to allow at-home completion. This approach was retained into the academic year 2022-23 to help maximise response numbers. The at-home completion approach was actively offered for secondary school pupils, and allowed but not encouraged for primary pupils.

The adaptions involved minor questionnaire changes (e.g., to ensure the wording was appropriate for those not attending school and enabling completion at home) and communication changes. For further details on the survey changes, please see the accompanying User Guide document. Academic years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 saw a more even split of responses by term across the year, compared to 2019-20, which had a reduced proportion of summer term responses due to the disruption caused by Covid-19.

The survey identifies how participation varies across different activities and sports, by regions of England, between school types and terms, and between different demographic groups in the population. The survey measures levels of activity (active, fairly active and less active), attitudes towards sport and physical activity, swimming capability, the proportion of children and young people that volunteer in sport, sports spectating, and wellbeing measures such as happiness and life satisfaction. The questionnaire was designed to enable analysis of the findings by a broad range of variables, such as gender, family affluence and school year.

The following datasets have been provided:

1) Main dataset: this file includes responses from children and young people from school years 3 to 11, as well as responses from parents of children in years 1-2. The parents of children in years 1-2 provide behavioural answers about their child’s activity levels; they do not provide attitudinal information. Using this main dataset, full analyses can be carried out into sports and physical activity participation, levels of activity, volunteering (years 5 to 11), etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_gross - Csplan files are available for SPSS users who can utilise them).

2) Year 1-2 dataset: This file includes responses directly from children in school years 1-2, providing their attitudinal responses (e.g., whether they like playing sport and find it easy). Analysis can also be carried out into feelings towards swimming, enjoyment of being active, happiness, etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_gross - Csplan files are available for SPSS users who can utilise them).

3) Teacher dataset: This file includes responses from the teachers at schools selected for the survey. Analysis can be carried out to determine school facilities available, the length of PE lessons, whether swimming lessons are offered, etc. Since December 2023, Sport England has provided weighting for the teacher data (‘wt_teacher’ weighting variable).

For further information, please read the supporting documentation before using the datasets.

Sports classes in Council Sports Centres including, class, capacity and attendance. For more details on sports classes visit Calderdale Sports and Fitness Note: no updated class data since March 2020 due to COVID-19.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which was established in September 2017, provides a world-leading approach to gathering data on how children engage with sport and physical activity. This school-based survey is the first and largest established physical activity survey with children and young people in England. It gives anyone working with children aged 5-16 key insight to help understand children's attitudes and behaviours around sport and physical activity. The results will shape and influence local decision-making as well as inform government policy on the PE and Sport Premium, Childhood Obesity Plan and other cross-departmental programmes. More general information about the study can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, 2017-2018 commenced during school academic year 2017 / 2018. It ran from autumn term 2017 to summer term 2018 and excludes school holidays. The survey identifies how participation varies across different activities and sports, by regions of England, between school types and terms, and between different demographic groups in the population. The survey measures levels of activity (active, fairly active and less active), attitudes towards sport and physical activity, swimming capability, the proportion of children and young people that volunteer in sport, sports spectating, and wellbeing measures such as happiness and life satisfaction. The questionnaire was designed to enable analysis of the findings by a broad range of variables, such as gender, family affluence and school year.

The following datasets are available:

1) Main dataset includes responses from children and young people from school years 3 to 11, as well as responses from parents of children in years 1-2. The parents of children in years 1-2 provide behavioural answers about their child's activity levels, they do not provide attitudinal information. Using this main dataset, full analyses can be carried out into sports and physical activity participation, levels of activity, volunteering (years 5 to 11), etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_set1.csplan).

2) Year 1-2 pupil dataset includes responses from children in school years 1-2 directly, providing their attitudinal responses (e.g. whether they like playing sport and find it easy). Analysis can be carried out into feelings towards swimming, enjoyment for being active, happiness etc. Weighting is required when using this dataset (wt_gross / wt_set1.csplan).

3) Teacher dataset includes responses from the teachers at schools selected for the survey. Analysis can be carried out into school facilities available, length of PE lessons, whether swimming lessons are offered, etc. Weighting was formerly not available, however, as Sport England have started to publish the Teacher data, from December 2023 we decide to apply weighting to the data. The Teacher dataset now includes weighting by applying the ‘wt_teacher’ weighting variable.

For further information about the variables available for analysis, and the relevant school years asked survey questions, please see the supporting documentation. Please read the documentation before using the datasets.

Latest edition information

For the second edition (January 2024), the Teacher dataset now includes a weighting variable (‘wt_teacher’). Previously, weighting was not available for these data.

Main Topics:

Topics covered in the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey include:

• Sport and physical activity participation
• Well-being
• Health

The Active People Survey commenced in October 2005 and was commissioned by Sports England. The primary objective of the survey was to measure levels of participation in sport and active recreation and its contribution to improving the health of the nation. Sport and active recreation included walking and cycling for recreation in addition to more traditional formal and informal spots. When measuring sports participation the survey not only recorded the type of activity but also the frequency, intensity and duration of the activity.

The Active People Survey was replaced by the Active Lives Survey in November 2015. Active Lives is a new survey with a different methodology and intended to measure different outcomes from those in the Active People Survey, however there are similarities as it was important that data could be reproduced on some of the key measures.

More general information can be found on the Sport England Active Lives Survey webpage and the Active Lives Online website, including reports and data tables.


For the second edition (October 2015), the data file was replaced with a new version to reflect changes in the Sport England core measure, the ‘1x30’ indicator. The documentation has also been updated.

Sport England is committed to the creation of a world-leading community sport environment. This means focusing our investment on organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport. Details of our funded projects from April 2009 to December 2013 are available on the links below.

This statistic displays the results of a survey on the number of men and women in England who were physically active for more than 150 minutes per week from May 2017 to May 2018. In 2018, it was found that approximately 4.59 million women were physically active doing fitness activities for more than 150 minutes a week.

The UK sports promoters market, a dynamic sector experiencing robust growth, is projected to maintain a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) exceeding 7% from 2025 to 2033. This expansion is fueled by several key drivers. Firstly, the enduring popularity of major sporting events like Premier League football and international tennis tournaments creates significant demand for professional promotion services. Secondly, the increasing sophistication of media rights deals, coupled with the growth of digital platforms and streaming services, contributes to substantial revenue streams for promoters. The rise of influencer marketing and targeted advertising further enhances promotional reach and effectiveness. Finally, the ever-growing appetite for live experiences fuels ticket sales and sponsorships, strengthening the financial foundations of the industry. While challenges exist, such as the economic climate's influence on sponsorship and ticket sales, the overall trajectory remains positive. The segmentation of the market, encompassing various sports (Soccer, Formula 1, Basketball, Tennis, and others) and revenue sources (Media Rights, Merchandising, Tickets, and Sponsoring), presents significant opportunities for diversification and strategic growth. Prominent players like Matchroom Sport and Premier League showcase the market's established nature and the potential for consolidation through mergers and acquisitions. The geographic concentration of the UK market presents opportunities for expansion. While the UK forms a core market, international expansion strategies are vital for continued growth. Emerging markets in Asia and parts of Africa, particularly those with rapidly expanding middle classes and growing sports fan bases, offer lucrative prospects for UK sports promoters. However, navigating differing regulatory environments and cultural nuances in these markets will be key to success. Furthermore, the evolving preferences of sports fans, including a demand for enhanced digital engagement and personalized experiences, require promoters to adopt innovative strategies. The sector's resilience and adaptability are crucial for sustaining the projected growth and capturing the opportunities presented by the evolving sports landscape. This necessitates strategic investments in digital infrastructure, data analytics, and talent acquisition. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the UK Sports Promoters Market, covering the period 2019-2033. It delves into market size, segmentation, trends, and future growth projections, providing invaluable insights for stakeholders across the sports industry. With a base year of 2025 and an estimated year of 2025, the forecast period extends to 2033, offering a long-term perspective on this dynamic sector. This in-depth study utilizes data from the historical period (2019-2024) to provide a robust foundation for future predictions. Recent developments include: June 2023: Sport-tech 50 introduced Talent Pathway ID, a groundbreaking addition to its lineup, offering AI-powered performance analysis for both athletes and coaches., April 2023: Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. celebrated the successful completion of its spin-off from Sphere Entertainment Co., marking the start of trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "MSGE." Sphere Entertainment still retains approximately 33% ownership of MSG Entertainment's outstanding shares.. Key drivers for this market are: Increase in Number of Spectators Watching Sports. Potential restraints include: Increase in Number of Spectators Watching Sports. Notable trends are: Athletes Influencers is Driving the Market.