Fitness drives record activity levels but pace of change must improve

ukactive has issued the following statement in response to the Active Lives Survey published by Sport England today (23 April) 

Cameron Saunders, CEO of ukactive, said: “It’s great to see fitness driving increases in levels of physical activity, but we’d all like to see overall increases moving far quicker, and far more being done to reduce inequalities. 

“Close to a million more people took part in fitness activities last year, a 1.4% increase on 2024. There’s also been a long-term increase in the number of older adults taking part in strength training, up by 2.7% over the past five years, and a 0.9% increase in women undertaking weight exercises in the past year alone, reflecting growing recognition of strength training as a vital component of health.  

“These findings mirror those of the UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2026, showing the growing popularity of our sector’s services and the ambition of our members to meet this demand.  

“This progress underlines the essential role played by our nation’s gyms, pools and leisure centres as the core infrastructure driving physical activity in the UK.  

“While we continue to see growth in the overall numbers of active adults, the pace of change remains too slow to address the continuing health crisis we face, including spiralling NHS costs and economic inactivity.  

“This is particularly acute among lower social groups, with only 54% of those in the lower social group meeting the CMO’s guidelines on physical activity, compared to 73% in the higher social group. 

“Swimming participation has also increased (0.3%), however, growth is threatened by the plight of swimming pools which are disproportionately affected by the nation’s rising energy costs. 

“The Government has the opportunity to work with our sector on practical, tangible ways to create a step-change in activity levels, harnessing our national infrastructure of gyms, pools and leisure centres to unlock a healthier, happier and wealthier Britain.” 

To read the findings of the Active Lives Survey 2024-25, click here.