Sport England’s Active Lives Survey
Sport England is responsible for promoting and investing in sport in the UK. They help the government meet its sporting objectives in this country and distribute Lottery funds to sport. Their vision is to make England a more active and successful sporting nation.
They are in charge of releasing the Active Lives surveys which measure activity levels across England in both adults and children. You can read these below.
Latest adult Active Lives Survey report
The latest Active Lives Survey report was produced in April 2025. You can read it below.
Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey is a study of activity levels among adults in England. It gives us a better understanding of people’s behaviour in relation to physical activity.
It is conducted to provide decision makers, government departments, local authorities and the sport and physical activity sector with a better understanding of people’s sport and physical activity habits.
The latest survey covers the period between November 2023 – 2024. Take a look at the full report below or click here to visit the Active Lives site for more information.
Active Lives Adult Survey November 2023 – 2024 (pdf, 6.56 MB)
This Active Lives report provides an updated comprehensive overview of adult (age 16+) sport and physical activity in England in the 12 months from November 2023-2024
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What does the latest report show?
Main takeaways:
- Activity levels are at a record high since the survey report was first released in 2016.
- Between November 2023 and 2024, 63.7% of adults reported doing 150 minutes+ of moderate intensity physical activity a week.
- The number of inactive adults, those doing less than 30 minutes of activity a week, is down, with this number falling by 121,000 in the last 12 months.
- This included significant growth in activity levels for older adults and disabled people.
- However, there are still various barriers in place which need to be addressed. Those in less affluent areas are 13.4% less likely to reach the 150+ minutes of recommended activity than those in more affluent areas.
- Similarly, 48.5% of people with a long-term condition or disability reported doing an average of 150+ minutes of activity a week, as opposed to 68.9% without. There is also a gender gap, with 61.4% of female respondents reaching 150+ minutes, in comparison to 66.3% of male respondents.
Small Area Estimates of Inactivity
The Active Lives Survey provides us with twice yearly figures for inactivity down to a local authority level (Breckland, Norwich, North Norfolk etc.) This data is modelled by Sport England to give estimates of inactivity in smaller areas. The latest version of this data is available here and can be viewed as a map or table as well as being exportable.
Previous adult Active Lives Surveys
Active Lives Adult Survey November 2020 – 2021 (pdf, 2.76 MB)
This Active Lives report provides an updated comprehensive overview of adult (age 16+) sport and physical activity in England in the 12 months from November 2020 – 2021
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Active Lives Adult Survey May 2020-2021 (pdf, 5.26 MB)
This Active Lives report provides an updated comprehensive overview of adult (age 16+) sport and physical activity in England in the 12 months from May 2020 – 2021
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Active Lives Understanding Behaviour (pdf, 1.98 MB)
This Active Lives report is not one of Sport England’s six monthly overviews of sport and physical activity in England. Instead this report focuses on what drives behaviour.
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Latest Children Active Lives Survey Reports
Sport England have sought to explore and better understand not only the behaviours of children and young people, but also their attitudes towards sport and physical activity.
They also explore the extent to which being active links to health. This includes levels of mental wellbeing and individual development, as well as social and community development.
For more information, visit our Children’s Active Lives Survey page.
Useful tools and documents
The following interactive tools will also help you to carry out further research. They can also help you to delve deeper into data provided by Sport England.
The Active People Interactive tool is a unique and valuable resources. It helps to unlock the potential of ALS data, allowing you to create your own tailored analysis.
The Local Sport Profile is another useful tool. It provides councils with a profile of up-to-date data for their local area. The tool also covers sports participation, facilities, health, economic and demographics, all in one place.
Below this, you’ll also find a report covering the social and economic value of community sports.
Sport England Strategy: Uniting the Movement
In January 2021 Sport England launched their 10-year strategy, Uniting the Movement.
Today, there is overwhelming evidence to show that moving our bodies through community sport, fitness and any other physical activity improves our lives, individually and collectively.
Sport England’s goal is to champion this life-changing impact and ensure that everyone across the nation can benefit from it.
You can find more about the new strategy and how it will be achieved here. You can also watch a summary in the video below.