Sport England has released the latest Active Lives Children & Young People Report for the 2024-25 academic year.

Physical activity among children and young people is at the highest level since Sport England started the Active Lives Survey in 2017-18.

This is a 5.8 per cent increase and 580,000 more children since 2017-18, and a 1.3 per cent improvement on last year’s results.

The number of less active children has decreased by 4.4 per cent to 28.4 per cent since 2017-18.

“We’re not just bouncing back, we’re seeing real progress,” said Sport England’s chief strategy officer, Nick Pontefract.

Other highlights include a small increase in activity levels among both boys and girls in the last year and the gender gap has narrowed due to more girls being active. Boys are still more active than girls – 52 per cent active compared with 46 per cent. However in the last year this has narrowed from 6.4 per cent to 5.9 per cent.

However the data shows that significant inequalities still remain, with not quite half of children – 49.1 per cent – meeting the CMO guidelines of an average of 60+ minutes of sport and physical activity per day across the week.

Children and young people from white and mixed backgrounds are the most likely to be active. Those with two or more characteristics of inequality are least likely to be active, at 40 per cent. Forty nine per cent of those with one characteristic of inequality are active and 54 per cent with no characteristics.

Children from White Other (53 per cent active), White British (51 per cent) and Mixed (52 per cent) backgrounds are more likely to be active than those from Asian (43 per cent), Black (41 per cent), or Other ethnic (42 per cent) backgrounds.

There is little difference in activity levels between children and young people with and without a disability or long-term health condition. Fifty per cent of disabled children or those with a long-term health condition are active, compared to 49 per cent of children without.

Children from the least affluent families are the least likely to be active (45 per cent active) compared to children from mid-affluence (49 per cent) – a four per cent difference – and the most affluent families (58 per cent).

Team sports and swimming are static and there is continued long term growth in both active travel and gym and fitness. While there has been little change in the last 12 months, there has been a small but gradual upward trend in gym and fitness since 2020-21. Compared to seven years ago there has been an increase of 12.7 per cent – 976,000 – children taking part in gym and fitness.

The most common activities are active play (64 per cent); active travel (61 per cent) and team sports (58 per cent).

Team sports are less common among infant-age children (41 per cent) and 58 per cent of those aged 11-16 play team sports.

Going for a walk, dancing and swimming are common for younger children but become less significant as they get older.

Sport England chief executive, Simon Hayes says: “Today’s findings are encouraging. Children’s activity levels are now the highest since the Active Lives Survey began, reflecting the positive impact that schools, clubs, community organisations, and many others are having across the country.

“More than half a million additional children are now meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines. That is real progress and something the sport and physical activity sector can be proud of, especially after the huge disruption of the pandemic.

“But the report also makes clear how much more we must do. It cannot be right that fewer than half of children are moving as much as recommended, and that stark inequalities mean too many amongst the poorest in our society miss out. We need a renewed national effort to change this.

“At Sport England we remain committed to working with all our partners to ensure that every child in England can enjoy the physical, social and mental benefits of an active life, wherever they live and whatever their background.”

Ali Oliver MBE, Youth Sport Trust CEO says: “It is hugely significant this latest Active Lives Children and Young People data shows an increase in physical activity levels. It gives us hope progress is being made and the work of charities and organisations like ours are helping increase opportunity, improve experience and foster changing attitudes about the importance of movement, play and sport in children’s education and development.

“However, while any increase in children and young people’s physical activity levels is positive, there is still work to be done. Our Class of 2035 report recently issued a warning about the impact of increasingly sedentary lifestyles leading to developmental delays, rising rates of obesity, mental health issues, and chronic disease among young people. Despite this increase reported today, far too many children still remain inactive and are suffering as a consequence.

"Inactive children need more than encouragement; they need support and opportunities to make movement part of their everyday lives, safe environments to play in, healthy and active schools which prioritise PE, sport and play, and communities empowering them to live active lifestyles.

“Positive experiences are key to getting more children engaged with being active and setting them up with healthy lifelong habits. Every day we delay action, the economic and social costs increase. With government plans for a refreshed curriculum, enrichment framework and a national network of PE and School Sport Partnerships we have an opportunity to deliver change giving every child access to the life-changing benefits of play and sport. It is imperative this opportunity is not missed.”

Huw Edwards, CEO of UK Active, said: “The latest figures are a reminder of the essential role gyms, pools and leisure centres are playing in driving children's activity levels, with UK Active’s Next Generation strategy setting an ambition to reach one million more children through our members’ facilities by 2030.

“But we cannot ignore that almost a third of children and young people are doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day and this survey also shows a decline in those swimming, which should be an alarm bell for the government.

“Our sector has been working tirelessly to improve children’s activity levels and the government must work with our sector to leverage the popularity of these services to reach every child and young person in the UK.

"Furthermore, our Opening School Facilities programme helped more than quarter of a million pupils to be active outside of school hours within schools and local community facilities such as gyms, pools and leisure centres over a three-year period.

"Despite its success, this programme was not renewed by the government, representing a lost opportunity to improve the health and happiness of our children and young people.

"We need to see bolder ambition to tackle these inactivity levels and our sector is ready to work with the Government to co-create a clear strategy and plan to get more children and young people active.”

Sport England says its place partnerships approach is working with children and young people who go to school in those areas – which are all areas of inequality – being as active as children and young people in other areas.

Mental wellbeing scores are higher for those who are active than those who are fairly active which in turn are higher than for those who are less active. They have increased by 0.008 points compared to 12 months ago, averaging 6.9 out of 10. They remain 0.18 points down compared to academic year 2017-18.

There is also a positive association between levels of sports and physical activity and levels of individual development, with those who are active being more likely to strongly agree with the statement “if I find something difficult I keep trying until I can do it.”

Levels of social trust are also higher among active children.

You can download the report here.

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