Levels of physical activity in England have reached a new record, with more than 30 million adults now meeting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, according to the latest Active Lives survey.
Key Findings
The 10th edition of the gold standard report reveals a striking rise in activity among older people, with an 11% increase among the over-75s over the past decade. There has also been consistent improvement among people with disabilities. However, other inequalities have proven stubborn, with no change among black and Asian communities in 10 years and a decline in activity among the least affluent over that period.
Overall Growth
Overall, there are now 3.3 million more people who are regularly active in England than when the Active Lives survey began. In the past 12 months, an additional 859,000 adults have joined that cohort, the biggest rise since 2021-22 when the UK was emerging from the Covid pandemic.
Simon Hayes, chief executive of Sport England, said: “It’s great to see continued growth in the number of people taking part in physical activity, with more adults than ever enjoying the benefit of playing sport and moving. It is testament to the incredible work of so many people across the sector, including the millions of volunteers without whom the system could not operate.”
However, he added: “But today’s report also shows this progress is still not being felt equally. Where you live, your socioeconomic circumstances, your gender, and your ethnicity, all still have a significant impact on how likely you are to be active.”
Persistent Inequalities
The data shows disparities in activity between ethnic groups, levels of affluence, and geographic regions have continued to grow over the past decade. While activity levels for white British people have risen 3% to 66%, levels among black adults and Asian adults (excluding Chinese) have stayed at 57% and 56% respectively. For the least affluent in society, only 53.8% of the poorest adults hit the 150-minute target, compared to 54.8% a decade ago.
In terms of region, the West Midlands remains the least active part of the country, with only 1.7% growth in activity over a decade, compared to 3.5% in the south-west, the most active region.
Demographic Drivers
The rise in activity has been driven by older people, with a 7% increase over a decade in the number of active 55- to 74-year-olds and a striking 10.9% growth among those aged 75 or above.
Changing Habits
Improvements have also been facilitated by changing habits. A pandemic spike in the number of people regularly walking for leisure may have dropped off in intervening years, but Active Lives records that there are still 1.3 million more people walking than before 2020. Additionally, those engaging in “fitness activities”, such as attending the gym or exercise classes, have grown sharply every year since the pandemic and stand at a 10-year high of 15.3 million.
Nick Pontefract, Sport England’s chief strategy officer, said this showed “a nation that is increasingly aware of the huge benefits that being active brings across physical health, mental wellbeing and both individual and social development, and that people are finding new and different ways to incorporate activity into their daily lives.”
