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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Between November 2023 and November 2024, approximately ******* people took part in track and field athletics in England. This marked an increase from the previous period, during which ******* individuals participated.

Percentage of children aged 5-16 that meet the UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMOs') recommendations for physical activity (an average of at least 60 minutes moderate-vigorous intensity activity per day across the week). Weighted number of respondents reporting participation in sport and physical activity for at least 420 minutes in the last 7 days. Data is collected between September and July (term time only). Where a numerator is less than 30 for a Local Authority area, results are not presented. The values are calculated from a self-report survey, which is subjective and is influenced by the respondent's ability to recall and assess their physical activity levels. Self-reported data may also be affected by respondent desire to confirm to expectations and social norms (e.g. smoking under-estimated and PA over-estimated). However, although this might affect the absolute values, this should not affect comparisons if the bias is consistent across populations. Although a sampling framework has been developed, the selection of schools is carried out by County Sports Partnerships, who contact the schools and encourage them to take part. As not all schools are surveyed, there is the possibility that only those schools with a strong commitment to physical activity take part in the survey.

Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

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 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.

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