Breaking: ChildrenS Activity Levels Show Gains, But Inequality & Inactivity Persist, New Data Reveals
London, UK – New data released today by Sport England reveals a positive trend in children’s activity levels, with increases in gym/fitness participation and active travel since pre-pandemic levels. However, a significant proportion of young people remain inactive, and inequalities in activity levels continue to be a concern.
The latest Active lives Survey data, comparing 2023-24 to 2024-25, shows 40% of children and young people have two or more characteristics associated with inequality, a figure that remains stable. Meanwhile, the percentage of those with no characteristics of inequality reporting activity has risen from 52% to 54% over the same period. Activity levels amongst those with one characteristic also saw a slight increase,moving from 47% to 49%.
Notably, children and young people attending schools in “Place Partnership” areas – often more deprived communities facing greater inequalities – are demonstrating activity levels mirroring the national average. The data shows 49% of children in these areas are active, the same percentage as all children and young people across England.
Long-term trends reveal considerable shifts in activity preferences. Gym and fitness participation has more than doubled, increasing from 11% in 2017-18 to 24% in 2024-25. Active travel has also seen a significant rise, jumping from 47% to 61% over the same period.
Though, participation in customary team sports and swimming has remained relatively static. Team sports show a slight increase, moving from 56% to 58%, while swimming has seen a minor decline from 27% to 25%, with a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a recovery.
“Our full report can provide more details on key areas including physical literacy as well as answers to broader wellbeing questions too,” a Sport England spokesperson stated.
The detailed data tables and the Active Lives Online tool are available on the Sport England website at sportengland.org/activelives.
