Children’s activity levels rising but inactivity remains too high

More children than ever are taking part in sport and being active, but too many are missing out on the benefits of an active lifestyle.

The number of children and young people playing sport and taking part in physical activity in England is at the highest level since we started our Active Lives Survey in 2017-18. 

The latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Report, published today, shows that there are more than half a million (580,000) more children meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity every day than there were seven years ago – an increase of 5.8%.

This reflects significant progress, especially considering the huge disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and is testament to the hard work of schools, sports clubs and many organisations across the sport and physical activity sector.   

However, today’s report also shows that less than half of all children (49.1%) meet the CMO’s guidelines and that significant inequalities remain – underscoring how much there is still to be done to ensure every child in England enjoys the physical and mental health benefits of taking part. 

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