About this data
Figures come from Sport England's Active Lives surveys: the Children and Young People survey (school years 1 to 11, ages 5 to 16) and the Adult survey (ages 16+). Adult figures exclude gardening unless stated. Local analysis by Press Red, April and September 2026.
These are survey estimates, so every figure has a margin of error. Smaller groups and smaller areas have fewer responses behind them, and their numbers can jump around from year to year. Look for patterns that hold over several years before drawing firm conclusions.
Where samples for 2024-25 alone were too small, years have been combined. Each chart says which years it covers.
Some terms we use
Global majority means all ethnic groups other than White British. The survey can only report these two categories locally, which hides differences between ethnic groups.
NS-SEC is a measure of socio-economic position based on occupation. NS-SEC 1-2 are managerial and professional roles; 6-8 are routine and semi-routine roles, the long-term unemployed and those who have never worked.
Family affluence (FAS) is a measure of a child's household resources, based on questions children answer themselves.
Find out more about the survey on Sport England's website.
