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, 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Physical inactivity within an ageing population is an ongoing public health concern for policymakers. Engagement in sport forms a foundation of policy designed to encourage physical activity participation and improve health and wellbeing. This study aimed to (i) understand the extent to which older adults participate in sport and the (ii) correlates that predict this involvement within an English population sample of older adults. A further aim was (iii) to examine the extent in which sports participation may vary due to the opportunity provided across Active Partnerships in England. To address this, a multi-level analysis framed through COM-B was conducted of the 2021 English Active Lives dataset (i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic). The Active Lives survey provides population-level insight into sport, exercise, and physical activity participation across England. It samples upwards of n = 180,000 participants beyond the age of 16 years and asks questions on factors that influence participation. Our findings drawn from a sample of n = 68,808 older adults (i.e., >60-years of age) indicate that when accounting for variation across regions sports participation was significantly predicted by age (β = -.246, p = .040) and multiple deprivation (β  = .706, p = .030). Further, our analysis suggests sports participation across regions is associated with changes in the perceptions of opportunity to participate (β = -28.70, p = .001). As the UK transitions from the COVID-19 pandemic, findings have implications for the promotion of sports participation for older adults, in that local, regional, and national stakeholders must do more to change perceptions of social and physical opportunity within an ageing population. This may be achieved through adaptations to the recreational sporting landscape, raising awareness, and supportive policy changes on a national level.

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

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.

The statistic displays the results of a survey on the share of females participating in afterschool sports within the previous year in Northern Ireland in 2015/2016, by type of sport. In 2016/2017, it was found that 12 percent of female respondents stated that they played hockey as an afterschool sport in the previous year. Overall sport participation in Northern Ireland has held a steady level of around 53 percent in the past years. More information about sport in Northern Ireland can be found in the Dossier: Sport in Northern Ireland.

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.

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.

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.

The Participation Survey is a continuous push-to-web survey of adults aged 16 and over in England. It serves as a successor to the Taking Part survey, which ran for 16 years as a continuous face to face survey. Paper surveys are available for those not digitally engaged. Fieldwork started in October 2021 and it is envisaged that the survey will be a key evidence source for Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and its sectors by providing statistically representative national estimates of adult engagement with the DCMS sectors. The survey’s main objectives are to:

• Provide a central, reliable evidence source that can be used to analyse cultural, digital, and sporting engagement, providing a clear picture of why people do or do not engage.
• Provide data at a county level to meet user needs, including providing evidence for the levelling up agenda.
• Underpin further research on driving engagement and the value and benefits of engagement.

Further information on the survey can be found on the gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/guidance/participation-survey">Participation Survey webpage.

The Participation survey is a continuous push to web survey of adults aged 16 and over in England. There are paper surveys available for those not digitally engaged. Fieldwork started in October 2021 and will be a main evidence source for DCMS/ACE and its sectors by providing statistically representative national estimates of adult engagement with the DCMS/ACE sectors. The survey’s main objectives are to:

- Provide a central, reliable evidence source that can be used to analyse cultural, digital, and sporting engagement, providing a clear picture of why people do or do not engage.

- Provide data at a county level to meet user needs, including providing evidence for the leveling up agenda.

- Underpin further research on driving engagement and the value and benefits of engagement.

For 2023-2024 annual data the fieldwork period was from 9th May 2023 - 4th April 2024. Participants in the survey are randomly selected from addresses from the Post Office’s list of addresses in England. This ensures results reflect the experiences and views of the whole population.
Further information on the survey can be found on
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/participation-survey

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