Sport and Active Lifestyles: State of the Nation report 2024-25

The key findings from the Sport & Active Lifestyles section of the National Survey for Wales are presented below.  More detail, such as population counts and geographies, can be found within the main sections of the report.

Participation:

• 59% of adults in Wales participated in sport and physical activity during the last four weeks.
• 35% of adults in Wales participated in sport and physical activity three or more times per week (Future Generations Indicator No. 38).  This is lower than in 2022-23 when the percentage was 39%.

Level of Participation:

• 79% of adults, who participate, do so non-competitively, for example for health or leisure.
• 18% competed at an amateur level.
• 2% competed at a professional or semi-professional level.

Demand:

• Overall, 35% of all adults said they wanted to participate in more sport and physical activity.
• 27% of adults who had not participated in sport and physical activity in the last four weeks indicated they would like to participate. This equates to 11% of the total adult population in Wales.

Reasons that would encourage future participation:

• Approximately three in ten adults (31%) had not participated in sport and physical activity in the last 4 weeks and had no demand to.
• Based on the adults who had participated in sport and physical activity or who had demand:

The top three reasons that would encourage future participation were:

1. ‘If I was less busy with work’ (44%)
2. ‘If there were more facilities, clubs or groups in my area’ (41%)
3. ‘If it cost less’ (31%)

Sport Facilities:

Based on the adults who had participated in sport and physical activity or who had demand: 

• Almost four in every ten adults in Wales (38%) had used a sport or physical activity facility in their local area within the last 12 months.
• 27% of those who had not used a sport or physical activity facility in their local area had wanted to.

Volunteering in sport:

Fewer than one in ten adults (9%) gave up time for free to help with a sporting activity in the last 12 months, i.e. they volunteered in sport.  

Sport Spectating:

37% of adults had attended at least one sport event as a spectator in the last 12 months.

Attitudes towards Physical Activity:

Based on the adults who had participated in sport and physical activity or who had demand: 

• 85% agreed or agreed strongly that ‘I have the opportunity to be physically active’ and ‘I have the confidence to be physically active’ and similarly 84% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I find physical activity enjoyable’.

This report will present the detailed findings from the Sport & Active Lifestyles section of the National Survey for Wales.

For more information on methodology, please refer to the Introduction.

Background to National Survey for Wales

The State of the Nation Report explores the findings from the ‘Sport and Active Lifestyles’ section of the National Survey for Wales, 2024-2025.Results are mainly based on telephone interviews and also online questionnaires.

The National Survey for Wales (NSW) is a large-scale, random sample survey of adults (ages 16-years and above) from across Wales. The survey is run by the Welsh Government on behalf of public bodies in Wales.

Prior to 2016, Sport Wales ran an independent survey, called ‘The Active Adults Survey’.  Since large-scale scale public-body surveys have been brought together to improve efficiency in data collection across Wales, forming the National Survey for Wales as it is today.

Starting in 2016, Sport Wales has been responsible for the questions about sport participation and demand embedded within the NSW. These questions are now known referred to as the ‘Sport and Active Lifestyles’ section of the survey and are the focus of this report.

The NSW is an annual survey.  Data is collected continuously throughout the year, from April to the following March. 

Since 2021, the survey adopted a telephone-first design, meaning that questions are mainly asked over the telephone rather than in person (and as a result are administered without the use of showcards).  Future surveys will be administered as online questionnaires.

Survey respondents are sampled and weighted to represent the characteristics of the overall population in Wales, equating to approximately 2.5 million adults (16+). 

Headline findings and further background information is available on the Welsh Government website: National Survey for Wales | GOV.WALES.

Helpful to Know:

• In 2024-25, approximately 6,000 adults (ages 16+) across Wales took part in the survey.  This is significantly lower than in previous survey years.
• Survey weights are used to bring the sample closer to the population in terms of age, sex, and local authority size, as well as to compensate for variation from target in the numbers of interviews held within each quarter. The weights reduce the effects of differences in the achieved sample compared with previous years and with the general population.
• Each year, the “Sport and Active Lifestyles” section of the survey is delivered, it explores participation and demand in “Sport and Physical Activity”. Additional topics are included every few years.  In 2024-25, these include volunteering and spectating in sport, sport facilities, and attitudes to being active. The survey questionnaire is available online (Pages 156-181).
• For this report, the term “Sport and Physical Activity” refers to the activities listed in Appendix A1.  Adults can participate in none, one, or more than one of the activities listed within this definition.
• To collect “Participation” figures, respondents are asked about their sport and physical activity behaviour within the “…previous four weeks”, as this provides an indication of typical behaviour for that individual.
• Throughout, “Frequency of participation” refers to the total number of occasions an adult participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, averaged to provide a weekly participation estimate.
• Survey fieldwork runs continuously throughout the year, which ensures that, overall, the annual responses account for seasonal variations in activity levels.
• The aggregation of participation frequency questions for each activity within the “Sport and Active Lifestyles” section of the survey enable us to report on the “Percentage of people participating in sporting activities three or more times per week”. This is a National Indicator(No. 38) for the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Interpreting the Data:

• Each section of the report provides descriptive statistics from the Sport & Active Lifestyles section of the NSW 2024-25.
• Comparisons are possible between the NSW 2024-25 and the two previous national surveys (NSW 2021-22 and NSW 2022-23).  These reports are available on the Sport Wales website.  Note: care should be taken in comparing results with previous years due to the lower response rates encountered in 2024-25 [1].
• In the past, there have been breaks in trend data between the Active Adults survey and the NSW 2016-17, and between NSW 2019-20 and 2021-22.
• Differences between population groups, and in change over time, have been highlighted whenever there is a statistically significant change [2].
• Missing data (for example, a ‘refused’ or ‘don’t know’ response) are mostly excluded from the results. Occasionally, this can cause minor differences in table totals. Another example of where this could happen is where a particular question is asked to a representative sub-sample of the survey. Percentages and totals will be based on this sub-sample.
• Percentages are rounded to the nearest percent, and population figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Report Structure

This report is structured into sections related to the Vision for Sport in Wales. These sections are:

Active Nation: a section containing headline information about participation behaviours.
Everyone: a section that explores the participation behaviours of different types of adults in Wales.
Lifelong: a section that focuses on differences by population age groups and other lifestyle factors.
Enjoyment: this section focuses on the demand to do more sport across Wales and how much of this demand is met.
Sport: this section presents the activities that are currently most popular in Wales. Information is provided for participation and demand for different types of sport activities.

The vision is to create an active nation, with as many people as possible inspired to be active through sport.

This section explores participation and frequency of participation in sport and physical activity across adults in Wales. The results help to explore progress toward The Vision for Sport in Wales.

2.1 National participation

The population of Wales is approximately 3.19 million people [1], ofwhom2.49 million are defined as adults (those aged 16+ years old for the purpose of this report) and are represented in the NSW 2024-25.

Almost six in every ten adults participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, representing 59% of all adults (1,449,000 adults).

Sports and physical activities can be categorised into broad groups. This report uses three broad groups: ‘Fitness Activities’, ‘Sports and Games’ and ‘Outdoor Pursuits’.

• ‘Fitness’ activities’ include running/jogging, cycling, swimming, going to the gym, fitness classes, dance classes, walking over 2 miles, and home workouts.
• ‘Sports & games’ include Team Sports, Racket Sports, Golf, Athletics, Bowls, Indoor games, and Combat sports.
• ‘Outdoor pursuits’ include Mountain sports (e.g. climbing or skiing), Motorsport, Fishing or angling, Horse riding, Skating or skateboarding, and Water sport (e.g. kayaking, surfing, sailing).

56% of adults (1,366,000 adults) participated in a ‘Fitness Activity’, almost one in five adults (19%) participated in ‘Sports and Games’ (477,000 adults), and 6% participated in ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ during the previous four weeks (143,000 adults).

The percentage of adults participating in ‘Fitness’ and ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ activities in the last four weeks was similar to 2022-23 (56% and 6% respectively).  However, the percentage of adults who had taken part in ‘Sports and Games’ had marginally increased.  In 2024-25 it was 19% whereas it was 16% in 2022-23.  This equates to 65,000 more adults taking part in ‘Sports and Games’ at least once in the last 4 weeks compared to the same period two years ago.

2.2 National frequency of participation

During 2024-25, just over a third of adults (35%) took part in sport and physical activity three or more times a week. This equates to 868,000 adults.  There were 1,586,000 adults who did not take part this often, with most taking part less than once a week (as shown in Graph 2.1).

Graph 2.1: National frequency of participation

The percentage of adults who participated three or more times a week is four percentage points lower than it was in 2022-23.  This means that 118,000 fewer adults were participating three or more times a week in 2024-25 compared to the same period two years ago.

Table 2.1 shows that the overall frequency of participation findings for Wales are driven by frequent participation in ‘Fitness Activities’.  A higher percentage of adults participated in ‘Fitness Activities’, and they did so more frequently compared to ‘Sports and Games’ or ‘Outdoor Pursuits’.

Table 2.1: Frequency of participation by broad activity groups:

Just under a third of adults (32%) took part in ‘Fitness’ activities three or more times a week during 2024-25. This equates to 787,000 adults.  A much lower percentage of adults took part in ‘Sports and Games’ three or more times a week (3%), representing 66,000 adults.  Lower again was the percentage of adults who took part in other ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ three or more times a week (1%; 16,000 adults).These findings illustrate the key role 'Fitness Activities' play in keeping adults regularly active.

The percentage of adults who participated in ‘Sports and Games’ and ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ three or more times a week was in line with 2022-23, however, the percentage of adults who took part in ‘Fitness’ activities three or more times a week has decreased.  In 2024-25, it was 32% whereas it was 36% in 2022-23. This equates to 133,000 fewer adults taking part in ‘Fitness’ activities three or more times a week compared to the same period two years ago. 

Further analysis indicates that the decline is mainly driven by fewer adults walking over two miles. In 2024-25. 38% of adults reported walking over two miles in the last 4 weeks (see Section 6), compared with 41% of adults in 2022-23. In addition, adults who participated in this activity did so less frequently over the four-week period, with a decline in those walking multiple times a week.

2.3 Level of Participation

Those who participated in sport and physical activity [1] in 2024-25 were asked to assess the maximum level of competitiveness at which they had taken part.  This ranged from those who were paid to compete professionally through to those who took part solely in non-competitive activities, such as for health or leisure (Table 2.2). 

Table 2.2: Level of participation 

As shown in Table 2.2, most adults who participated did so non-competitively (79%; 658,000 adults), and so participated for other reasons such as health and/or leisure.   Around 18% competed at an amateur level (152,000 adults) and 2% competed at a professional or semi-professional level (14,000 adults).

A lower percentage of females participated competitively (either professionally / semi-professionally / or as an amateur) compared to males (13% and 24% respectively).  In addition, despite there being slightly more females than males living in Wales, only 46,000 females competed, whereas the number of males who had competed was 116,000.

These inequalities in participation are not just limited to taking part competitively or to simply males and females.  This will be highlighted in the next section.

The vision is for everyone. From people who don’t see themselves as sporty to people who win medals.

This section explores participation and frequency of participation in sport and physical activity in Wales, by geography and population characteristics. These findings help to examine similarities and differences between these groups to ensure the benefits of sport and physical activity reach everyone across Wales.

3.1 Geography

This section explores how participation varies by different geographies.

3.1.1 Participation in the last 4 weeks by geography

Table 3.1shows the percentage and number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, by Sport Partnerships (SP) area, and by 'Rural' and 'Urban' areas [1]

Table 3.1: Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks, by Sport Partnership area, and population density.

Central South had the highest percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks (66%), representing 494,000 adults.  North Wales and Mid Wales had similar percentages participating, at 60% and 59% respectively, which equates to 322,000 adults for North Wales and 95,000 adults for Mid Wales.

In terms of population size, the number of adults participating in all other SPs was greater than that of Mid Wales. For every participant in Mid Wales, there were five adults who had participated in Central South. However, this is mainly due to there being more adults living in other SPs compared to Mid Wales in the first instance.

West Wales (53%) and Gwent (54%) had the lowest and a similar percentage of adults who had participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, representing 290,000 adults for West Wales and 248,000 adults for Gwent.

Compared to 2022-23, the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks remained broadly similar across most sport partnership areas except for West Wales, where there was a 7-percentage point decrease in participation from 60% in 2022-23 to 53% in 2024-25.

Additionally, whilst the number of adults who participated in 'Urban' areas was approximately double that of 'Rural' areas, the percentage of adults who participated in 'Urban' and 'Rural' areas were similar to 2022-23; with 60% and 57% in 2024-25 compared to 60% and 61% in 2022-23, respectively.

Table 3.2 illustrates the percentage and number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, by quintiles of Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD)

Table 3.2: Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks, by Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD):

The percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks varied across deprivation levels. Those living in least deprived areas (Quintile 5) were more likely to participate in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks compared to those in the most deprived areas (Quintile 1).

Those living in the most deprived areas (Quintile 1) and Quintile 2 had participation levels of 54%, which equates to 233,000 adults for Quintile 1 and 242,000 adults for Quintile 2.  Those in the least deprived areas (Quintile 5) had a participation percentage of 66% (370,000 adults). There was a 12-percentage point gap between Quintile 1 and Quintile 5, with 137,000 more adults participating in Quintile 5 compared to Quintile 1.

Compared to 2022-23, the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks remains similar across all deprivation levels.

3.1.2 Participation three or more times per week by geography

Table 3.3explores the percentage and number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times per week, by SP area, and by 'Rural' and 'Urban' classification.

Table 3.3: Participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week by sport partnership area, and population density.

Central South and North Wales had the highest percentage at 38% and 37% respectively, with Central South representing 287,000 adults and North Wales representing 197,000 adults.  Mid Wales had a similar percentage to North Wales (36%), but this represented the lowest number of participating adults (59,000 adults) across all sport partnership areas.  West Wales and Gwent had similar participation rates of 33% and 32% respectively, representing 179,000 adults for West Wales and 147,000 adults for Gwent.

Compared to 2022-23, the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times a week remains similar across sport partnership areas.

Additionally, the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times per week was similar between urban and rural areas, with 36% of adults in urban areas (586,000 adults) and 35% in rural areas (282,000 adults). However, urban areas represented more than double the number of participants compared to rural areas. 

Compared to 2022-23, participation levels decrease in urban areas by a 4-percentage point, whereas there was a less notable change in rural areas (40% and 38% in 2022-23, respectively).

Table 3.4 illustrates the percentage and number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times per week, by quintiles of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD). As described earlier in the report, the WIMD is the Welsh Government’s official measure of deprivation for small areas in Wales.

Table 3.4: Participation three or more times per week, by Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD):

The percentage of adults participating in sport and physical activity three or more times per week was similar for those living in the two most deprived areas (Quintile 1 and Quintile 2 were both 31%).  Moreover, those living in these areas were less likely to participate in sport and physical activity three or more times per week compared to those living in the least deprived part of Wales (i.e., Quintile 5 at 40%).

There was a 9-percentage-point difference in the percentage of adults participating in sport and physical activity three or more times per week between those who live in the top 20% of most deprived areas (Quintile 1), compared to those who live in the bottom 20% of deprived areas in Wales (Quintile 5). This difference equates to 90,000 adults between the most and least deprived.

Compared to 2022-23, the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times a week remains similar across all deprivation levels.

3.2 Population Characteristics

This section explores how participation varies by different population characteristics

3.2.1 Participation in the last 4 weeks by population characteristics

Table 3.5 presents participation in sport and physical activity (in the previous 4 weeks) explored by different demographic groups in Wales.

Table 3.5: Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks by sex, ethnicity, disability, material deprivation, and use of Welsh language.

Females were less likely to report having participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks compared to Males, with a 6-percentage point difference.  When compared to 2022-23, results remain similar across both years.

Those who reported their ethnicity as ‘White’ had a participation percentage of 58%, while those who reported their ethnicity as ‘White Other’ and ‘Any Other Ethnic Group’ both had participation percentages of 67%.When compared to 2022-23, results remain similar across both years.

Adults who reported having a limiting long-term illness were less likely to have participated during the previous four weeks (39%) compared to those who do not have limiting long-term illness (70%), with a 31-percentage point difference [3]. In 2022-23, the difference was 23 percentage points.

Adults living in material deprivation were just as likely to report having participated in the previous four weeks (60%), representing 167,000 adults, compared to those who were not in material deprivation (59%), representing 1,267,000 adults.

Compared to figures reported in 2022-23, adults living in material deprivation who participated in the previous four weeks increased by 11 percentage points, which equates to approximately 26,000 more adults participating in sport and physical activity. Adults not living in material deprivation decreased by 4 percentage points, which equates to 69,000 fewer adults participating in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks.

Finally, participation levels were similar among those using the Welsh language every day and those who do not use the Welsh language every day. When compared to 2022-23, results remain similar across both years.

3.2.2 Participation three or more times per week by population characteristics

Table 3.6 presents participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week, explored by different demographic groups in Wales.

Table 3.6 Participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week by sex, ethnicity, disability, material deprivation, and use of the Welsh language.

Table 3.6 illustrates that Females were less likely to report having participated in sport and physical activity three or more times per week compared to Males; an 8-percentage point difference. When compared to 2022-23, results remain similar across both survey years.

The percentage of participation in sport and physical activity three or more times a week was 35% for those who identified themselves as ‘White’, 39% of those who identified as ‘White other ’, and 36% of ‘Any other ethnic group’. When compared to 2022-23, results remain similar across both survey years.

The percentage of adults who participated three or more times per week without a limiting long-term illness (44%)was more than double that of those with a limiting long-term illness (21%) [4]; a difference of 23 percentage points. Compared to 2022-23, there was a 6-percentage point decrease among adults with a limiting long-term illness and who participated three or more times a week, whereas the equivalent percent of adults without a limiting long-term illness remained similar across both years.

The percentage of adults living in material deprivation who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times a week (33%) was close to the percentage of adults not living in material deprivation (36%). However, compared to 2022-23, there was a decrease of 5 percentage points among those not living in material deprivation who participated three or more times a week, equating to 98,000 less adults, whereas for those living in material deprivation, the level reported remained consistent with 2022-23.

Finally, the percentage of adults using the Welsh language every day was 40% and it was 35% for those not using Welsh language every day. 

Compared to 2022-23, those not using Welsh every day and who participated three or more times a week had decreased by 4 percentage points. This equates to 104,000 less adults not using Welsh every day and participating three or more times a week in 2024-25.

The vision is for life. It responds to the needs of people at different stages of their life.

This section explores participation in sport and physical activity by age, alongside additional topics that showcase how people participate and interact with sport during different stages of their life. 

4.1 Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks by age. 

Like previous surveys (NSW 2021-22 and 2022-23) in 2024-25, the percentage of adults who participated during the previous four weeks tends to decline as the survey respondents’ age group increases.  This is shown in Graph 4.1. 

Graph 4.1: Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks by age. 

Graph 4.1 shows the percentage of adults within each age group who participated in sport and physical activity within the previous four weeks in 2024-25.

A greater percentage of adults within age groups 16-24-years, 25-34-years, 35-44-years, and 45-54-years participated in sport and physical activity during the previous four weeks, compared to both the national average (59%) and to older age groups. Conversely, a lower percentage of adults participated amongst those aged 55-64-years, 65-74-years, and 75+ years when compared to the national average, and to younger age groups.  A similar trend was also found in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Table 4.1 shows the number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity within the previous four weeks in 2024-25, alongside percentages.

Table 4.1: Participation in sport and physical activity in the previous four weeks by age 

4.2 Participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week by age

Exploring this in more detail revealed that the percentage of adults who participated in sport and physical activity frequently (i.e. three or more times per week) also declined as the respondents’ age increased (Graph 4.2)

Graph 4.2: Participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week by age

Graph 4.2 explores differences by age group for those who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times a week.

A greater percentage of adults aged 16-24-years, 25-34-years, and 35-44-years participated three or more times per week compared to the national average (35%), and to older age groups.  Conversely, a lower percentage of adults participated three or more times per week amongst those aged 65-74-years, and 75+ years when compared to the national average, and to younger age groups.  Adults who were 55-64 participated closest to the national average.

Table 4.2 shows the number of adults who participated in sport and physical activity three or more times a week in 2024-25 alongside these percentages.

Table 4.2: Participation in sport and physical activity three or more times per week by age

The findings from Sections 4.1 and 4.2 suggest that as adults move through different life stages, their level of participation in sport and physical activity tends to decline.  The next section explores some of the factors that might contribute to this decline.   It will also illustrate some of the different ways adults engage in sport beyond participation.

4.3 Reasons that encourage future participation

Adults were asked what would encourage them to take part in more sport and physical activity.   

Adults could suggest multiple reasons that would encourage them to be more active. 31% suggested one reason, 33% suggested two or three reasons, and 36% provided more than three reasons that would encourage them to do more sport. The detailed results for 2024-25 are shown in Graph 4.3.

Graph 4.3: Reasons that encourage future participation

In 2024-25, the reason mentioned most often was ‘If I was less busy with work’ (44%).   The percentage who mentioned ‘If there were more facilities, clubs or groups in my area’ was similarly large (41%).  ‘If it cost less’ was also one of the top three reasons.  A full breakdown is shown in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3: Reasons that encourage future participation

4.4 Sport and physical activity facilities

New questions about sport and physical activity facilities in the local area [3] that had been used within the last 12 months, were asked [4] in 2024-25.  

It was found that almost four in every ten adults in Wales (38%) had used a sport or physical activity facility in their local area within the last 12 months.   This equates to 658,000 people.  This also indicates that the 960,000 adults asked did not use these local facilities.

Of the 960,000 adults who had not used a local sport or physical activity facility in within the last 12 months, over a quarter (27%) had wanted to use the facility.

To explore this further, adults who had used or wanted to use local facilities within the last 12 months were asked a series of attitude statements linked to facility provision.   The results are presented below.

The level of agreement with the statement ‘I am able to get to the sport and physical activity facilities that I need.' is shown in Graph 4.4.

Graph 4.4: Agreement with the statement ‘I am able to get to the sport and physical activity facilities that I need.'

Graph 4.4 shows that over half strongly agreed with the statement (53%), with an additional 33% tending to agree.  The percentages of those who neither agreed or disagreed or disagreed were all much lower (each was close to 5% or below).  A full breakdown is available in Table 4.4.

Table 4.4: Agreement with the statement ‘I am able to get to the sport and physical activity facilities that I need.

Next, the level of agreement with the statement ‘There are enough sport and physical activity facilities for me in my local area.’ is shown in Graph 4.5.

Graph 4.5: Agreement with the statement ‘There are enough sport and physical activity facilities for me in my local area.’

Graph 4.5 shows that opinion is more mixed, with that around a third strongly agreed with the statement (32%), with slightly more tending to agree (37%).  The percentage of those who neither agreed or disagreed, tended to disagree or strongly disagree were all lower (8%, 14% and 8% respectively).  A full breakdown is available in Table 4.5.

Table 4.5: Agreement with the statement ‘There are enough sport and physical activity facilities for me in my local area.’

Although most adults agreed ‘There are enough sport and physical activity facilities for me in my local area.’  there were slightly more who disagreed with this statement (Graph 4.5) when compared to the previous statement (see Graph 4.4), meaning there is somewhat of a discrepancy in there being enough and being able to get to the facilities that were needed to be active.

One reason for the difference could be due the omission of ‘local area’ in the statement ‘I am able to get to the sport and physical activity facilities that I need.' and as a result, could indicate that some are travelling beyond their local area to access the facilities they need if there are not enough in their local area.

Next was an assessment of the level of agreement with the statement ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are high quality.’ (Graph 4.6).

Graph 4.6: Agreement with the statement: ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are high quality.’

Graph 4.6 shows that around a quarter agreed strongly with this statement (26%), with more tending to agree (39%).  The percentage of those who neither agreed or disagreed, tended to disagree or strongly disagree were all lower (16%, 10% and 6% respectively).  A full breakdown is available in Table 4.6.

Table 4.6: Agreement with the statement ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are high quality.’

Finally, the level of agreement with the statement ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are affordable for me’ is shown in Graph 4.7.

Graph 4.7: Agreement with the statement: ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are affordable for me.’

Graph 4.7 shows that just over a third agreed strongly with this statement (35%), with similar levels tending to agree (36%).  The percentage of those who neither agreed or disagreed, tended to disagree or strongly disagree were all lower (12%, 10% and 4% respectively).  A full breakdown is available in Table 4.7.

Table 4.7: Agreement with the statement ‘The sport and physical activity facilities in my local area are affordable for me.’

The patterns shown in the results for statements about quality (Graph 4.6) and affordability (Graph 4.7) were broadly similar, with slightly more positive sentiment towards affordability, suggesting quality and affordability are not necessarily related in a straightforward way (i.e., better-quality facilities are less affordable).  

Overall, these findings suggest that most adults who access sport and physical activity facilities can get to those that they need.  In addition, most think there are enough in their local areas and that those available are regarded as high quality and affordable.  However, this should not mask that most adults do not participate frequently, do not have demand to do more, and had not used, or indeed wanted to use, local sports facilities in the last 12 months.  

Nevertheless, these findings can be considered alongside Section 4.3 where it was found that 41% would participate more if there were more facilities, clubs or groups in their local area, 24% would participate more if it was easier to travel to clubs/facilities/groups and 15% would be able to do more if there were facilities, clubs or groups that met their accessibility needs.  

In addition, it should be noted that ‘if it cost less’ was one of the top three reasons that would encourage adults to do more, mentioned by 307,000 adults, yet only 126,000 adults disagreed that sport and physical activity facilities in their local area are affordable.   

The next sections describe more ways adults can be active through sport.

4.5 Volunteering in sport

Just under one in ten adults (9%) gave up their time for free to help with a sporting activity in the last 12 months.  This equates to 213,000 adults who had volunteered in sport.  

Table 4.8: Volunteering in Sport

The percentage of adults who had volunteered in sport in 2024-25 is in line with findings from 2019-20 and 2016-17 (when volunteering in sport was found to be 10%).

To put the level of volunteering in sport in context, we also know that around a third (32%) of adults in Wales were volunteers, in general, in 2024-25 (725,000 people).  These adults volunteer in a wide variety of ways, and not all volunteers will support sport. However, of those who volunteer, volunteering for a sports club was the second most common type of volunteering activity, second to volunteering for a charitable organisation.  

Volunteering at a sports club is just one of the settings within which adults volunteer in sport.  Most volunteered at a sports club (66%), but adults also volunteered at a school or young person’s group (18%), and at other locations (20%) during the last 12 months (Table 4.9).  

Table 4.9: Volunteering locations

These were multiple ways in which volunteers in sport provide their time for free at these locations. The multiple ways in which adults volunteer in sport are illustrated in Graph 4.8.  

Graph 4.8: Volunteering in sport by type of volunteering

Around half of volunteers in sport help with at least one of these activities (52%).   An additional 21% volunteer time for two of these activities, and the remaining 27% of volunteered in three or more of these activities.  

Fundraising and Coaching are the most common ways in which adults volunteered in sport, and around 4 in 10 of those who volunteered in sport had provided time for at least one of these activities in the last 12 months.  A full breakdown is available in Table 4.10.

Table 4.10: Volunteering in sport by type of volunteering

Some adults are also paid for their roles in sport.  Specifically in relation to coaching, 2% of all adults are paid to coach as part of their job (38,000 people).  In addition, 82% of those who volunteer in coaching also have a paid coaching role; and so are paid for coaching but also give up their time for free for to coach.

The amount of time that was provided for volunteering in sport varied by volunteer, but most volunteered on a regular basis (Table 4.11).

Table 4.11: Frequency of volunteering in sport 

Those who volunteered in sport within the last 4-weeks provided approximately 6 to 7 hours of volunteer time.

4.6 Sport Spectating

Some adults are involved in sport simply through going to watch it in person.  In 2024-25, well over a third of adults (37%) had attended at least one sport event as a spectator in the last 12 months. This equates to 907,000 adults.  

Of those spectators, there was a broadly even split between those who had attended once or twice in the last 12 months (37%; 343,000), those who attended three or four times (30%; 272,000 adults), and those who attended more frequently (32% attended once a month or more; 289,000 adults).

In addition, the vast majority (85%; 778,000 adults) had attended a sport event in Wales.  There were 127,000 people who had only attended events outside Wales.

The vision focuses on creating a wide range of positive experiences, so that everyone can enjoy sport and activity

This section focuses on exploring the ‘Demand’ and ‘Unmet Demand’ for sport and physical activity amongst adults in Wales. These results suggest where activities have the potential to grow, and in turn, provide more opportunities for adults to enjoy.

5.1 National Demand

Adults with ‘demand’ refers to those who said they wanted to do more sport and physical activity. These adults might already participate in sport and physical activity.

Just over one third of adults (35%) reported a demand to participate in sport and physical activity, representing 840,000 adults in 2024-25. 

The percentage of adults with demand for more sport and physical activity is 7-percentage points higher than it was in 2022-23.  This means that 155,000 more adults wanted to do more in 2024-25 when compared to the same period two years ago.

Graph 5.1 shows how this demand varies by broad activity group.

Graph 5.1: The percentage of adults who had a demand for sport and physical activity by broad activity

Across the broad activity groups, 22% of adults (545,000) had a demand for at least one ‘Fitness Activity’, 12% of adults (304,000) had a demand for at least one ‘Sport and Game’ activity, and 6% of adults (142,000) had a demand for at least one ‘Outdoor Pursuit’ activity in 2024-25.

The percentage of adults who wanted to do more ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ is lowest of all broad activity types and remains close to the percentage found in 2022-23 (5% in 2022-23).  The percentage of adults who wanted to do more ‘Fitness activities’ is higher now than it was in 2022-23 (an increase of 6-percentage points).  This equates to 142,000 more adults wanting to do more ‘Fitness activities’ compared to the same period two years ago [1]. In addition, the percentage of adults who wanted to do more ‘Sports and Games’ activities is now higher than the level found in 2022-23 (an increase of 3-percentage points). This equates to 56,000 more adults wanting to do more ‘Sports and Games’ activities compared to the same period two years ago. 

5.2 Demand and Geography

This section explores how demand varies by different geographies in Wales.

Table 5.1: The percentage and number of adults who have a demand for more sport and physical activity, by sport partnership area and population density

 

The percentage of adults with demand for sport and physical activity in North Wales and Central South was greater than the percentage of adults with demand in Mid Wales, Gwent, and West Wales, with both North Wales and Central South having a percentage of 38%.

The percentage of adults with demand for sport and physical activity in West Wales (28%) was lower than the national average (35%), whereas demand in North Wales, Mid Wales, Central South, and Gwent was closer to the national average.

Compared to 2022-23 findings, demand increased in North Wales, Central South and Gwent. Central South and Gwent had the most substantial increases. Central South increased by a 13-percentage points, which equates to an additional 91,000 adults with demand for sport and physical activity whereas Gwent increased by 12-percentage points, which equate to 50,000 more adults.  North Wales also increased by 8-percentage points, which equates to 34,000 more adults with demand for sport and physical activity. Demand in Mid Wales and West Wales remained close to the levels reported in 2022-23.

Additionally, the percentage of adults who had demand for sport and physical activity in 'Rural' areas (35%) was in line with that of 'Urban' areas (34%). Nevertheless, compared to 2022-23, there was an increase in demand in both ‘Urban’ and ‘Rural’ areas. 

‘Urban’ areas increased by 8-percentage points, which equates to an additional 124,000 adults with demand for sport and physical activity. ‘Rural’ areas also showed some growth, increasing by 6-percentage points, which equates to an additional 31,000 adults expressing demand.

Table 5.2 demonstrates the percentage and number of adults who had a demand for more sport and physical activity by quintiles of Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation(WIMD) .

Table 5.2: The percentage and number of adults who have a demand for more sport and physical activity, by Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD):

The percentage of adults with demand for more sport and physical activity was relatively similar across deprivation levels. The biggest difference was that those in Quintile 5 (least deprived) had more demand for more sport and physical activity than those in Quintile 2 [5].

Compared to 2022-23, demand for more sport and physical activity increased in Quintile 1 (most deprived), Quintile 4 and Quintile 5 (least deprived). Quintile 1 (most deprived) has had a 9-percentage point increase, which equates to an additional 40,000 adults with demand for more sport and physical activity. Similarly, Quintile 4 also increased by 6-percentage points, which equates to an additional 14,000 adults with demand for sport and physical activity. Quintile 5 (least deprived) had the largest increase, which was 12-percentage points.  This equates an additional 66,000 adults expressing demand for sport and physical activity in 2024-25.  Demand in Quintile 2 and Quintile 3 remained similar to the levels reported in 2022-23.                                                                                      

5.3 Demand and population characteristics

This section explores how demand varies by different population characteristics.

Graph 5.2: The percentage and number of adults who have a demand for more sport and physical activity, by age group.

Demand for more sport and physical activity was lower for those ages 75+, than for other age groups.

More specifically, those aged 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 were more likely to report demand for more sport and physical activity compared to those aged 65-74 and 75+.

Compared to 2022-23, demand increased significantly across most age groups, except for those aged 16-24 years old and 25-34 years old whose demand levels remained similar. The largest increase in demand was seen among those aged 35-44 years, rising by a 13-percentage point. Similarly, demand also increased among those aged 45-54 years and 55-64 years, demand increased for both age groups by 11-percentage points. There was also an increase in demand among older adults aged 65-74 years (8-percentage points) and 75+ years (6-percentage points)

Notably, while participation rates remained stable across most age groups between 2022-23 and 2024-25, demand increased for all those ages 35 and over, indicating a growing pool of latent demand and a widening gap between participation and demand for this age group when compared to adults under the age of 35.

Table 5.3 illustrates the percentage and number of adults who had demand for more sport and physical activity, by demographic characteristic.

Table 5.3: The percentage and number of adults with a demand to do more sport and physical activity, by population characteristics.

In 2024-25, there was little difference in the percentage of adults with demand for more sport and physical activity between Males (35%) and Females (34%). 

Nevertheless, compared to 2022-23, there was a 7-percentage point increase for Males and an 8-percentage point increase for Females, which represents 60,000 more males and 95,000 more females with demand.

Looking at ethnicity, those who identified as ‘Any other ethnic group’ had a higher percentage of demand (54%) compared to those who identified as ‘White’ (33%), whereas it was 43% for those who identify as ‘White other’.

Results for 2024-25 show a 20-percentage point increase in demand among those who identified as ‘Any other ethnic group’ when compared to 2022-23, when demand was at 34%. Similarly, there was also a 6-percentage point increase among those who identified as ‘White’ when compared to 2022-23. Those who reported their ethnicity as ‘White other’ had no measurable [6] change in demand levels.

In 2024-25, 34% of adults living with a limiting long-term illness reported demand, compared with 35% of adults living without a limiting long-term illness [7].

Demand also increased between 2022-23 and 2024-25 among those who have limiting long-term illness and those who do not.  There was a 7-percentage point increase among those with a limiting long-term illness (28% in 2022-23) and an 8-percentage point increase among those without limiting long-term illness (27% in 2022-23).

Results for 2024-25 show that those living in material deprivation were more likely to report demand for more sport and physical activity compared to those not living in material deprivation, with those living in material deprivation showing a 10-percentage point higher level of demand than those not living in material deprivation.  

In 2024-25, demand rates increased compared to figures reported in 2022-23 for both material deprivation groups. Demand from those living in material deprivation increased by 11-percentage points (from 33% in 2022-23 to 44% in 2024-25). Demand rates also increased but by 8-percentage points amongst those who do not live in material deprivation (from 26% in 2022-23 to 34% in 2024-25).

Furthermore, demand for more sport and physical activity was broadly similar between those who use Welsh Language in everyday life and those who don’t. 

Compared to 2022-23, demand for more sport and physical activity increased among those who do not use Welsh language for everyday life by 8-percentage points (from 26% in 2022-23 to 34% in 2024-25) whereas demand among those who use Welsh language for everyday life remained close to the levels reported in 2022-23 (32% in 2022-23 to 37% in 2024-25).

5.4 Unmet Demand

For the purposes of this report, those with an ’ Unmet Demand ’ refer exclusively to those who have not participated in sport and physical activity in the last 4 weeks but indicated they would like to do more in the future.

In 2024-25, 11% of adults (roughly 1 in 9) said they wanted to participate in at least one type of sport or physical activity but had not participated in the last 4-weeks, representing 273,000 adults with unmet demand.
Compared to 2022-23, unmet demand increased by 4-percentage points (from 7% in 2022-23 to 11% in 2024-25), with 89,000 more adults reporting unmet demand in 2024-25.

In 2024-25, there were 211,000 adults who did not participate in any ' any ’ Fitness Activity but said they would like to. Further,therewere207,000adultswho did not participate in any ‘Sport & Games’ but said they would like to. Finally, 116,000 adults said they did not participate in any ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ but said they would like to.

Overall, this equates to at least 543,000 new opportunities in sport and physical activity amongst adults, which would need to be met for the 273,000 adults with unmet demand.

Table 5.4: The percentage and number of adults who have an unmet demand for activity, by sport partnership areas

The percentage of unmet demand is similar across most sport partnership areas. The biggest disparity was between North Wales Central South where there was a 5-percentage point difference in unmet demand. 

Compared to 2022-23, there have been changes to the percentage of unmet demand in North Wales (6-percentage points), Central South (3-percentage points) and Gwent (6-percentage points).

A similar percentage of adults from 'Rural' areas (12%) and 'Urban' areas (11%) reported unmet demand for sport and physical activity. However, more adults with unmet demand live in 'Urban' areas (178,000 adults) compared to 'Rural' areas (95,000 adults). However, this is partly due to there being more people living in ‘Urban’ Wales in the first instance.

From 2022-23, the percentage of adults with unmet demand increased in both 'Urban' areas from 7% in 2022-23 to 11% in 2024-25, and 'Rural' areas from 7% in 2022-23 to 12% in 2024-25.

5.5 Attitudes to being physically active

Adults who had participated in the last four weeks or had demand to participate more often were asked for their level of agreement with three statements linked to having the opportunity to be physically active, having the confidence to be physically active, and finding physical activity enjoyable.  

The level of agreement across these questions was found to be similar, with most having a positive sentiment towards these statements.  Between 84% and 85% agreed strongly or tended to agree with the statements ‘I have the opportunity to be physically active.’, ‘I have the confidence to be physically active.’ and ‘I find physical activity enjoyable.'(representing between 1.4 to 1.5 million adults in Wales).  

The overall pattern to across each statement is shown in Graph 5.3, Graph 5.4, and Graph 5.5.

Graph 5.3: Agreement with the statement ‘I have the opportunity to be physically Active

Most either strongly agreed that they had the opportunity to be physically active (51%, 879,000 adults) or tended to agree (34%, 579,000 adults).   10% tended to disagree or disagreed strongly (174,000 adults).  5% neither agreed nor disagreed (84,000 adults).

Table 5.5: Agreement with the statement ‘I have the opportunity to be physically active.'

Graph 5.4: Agreement with the statement ‘I have the confidence to be physically active

Most either strongly agreed that they had the confidence to be physically active (51%, 868,000 adults) or tended to agree (34%, 587,000 adults). 10% tended to disagree or disagreed strongly (166,000 adults).  6% neither agreed nor disagreed (44,000 adults).

Table 5.6: Agreement with the statement ‘I have the confidence to be physically active.’

Graph 5.5: Agreement with the statement ‘I find physical activity

Most either strongly agreed that they find physical activity enjoyable (48%, 833,000 adults) or tended to agree (36%, 616,000 adults).   7% tended to disagree or disagreed strongly (127,000 adults).  8% neither agreed nor disagreed (141,000 adults).

Table 5.7: Agreement with the statement ‘I find physical activity enjoyable.'’

It is important to remember that around three in every ten adults were not asked these questions.  As these were those who did not participate or have demand for sport activities there is a high chance that these are the adults with less opportunity, less confidence, and less likely to enjoy being physically active.  However, further research would be required to confirm these assumptions.

 

 

 

 

This section presents findings for different types of sport activity. Together this information demonstrates the contribution of each sport activity to overall participation and demand levels across Wales.

It is possible to explore the detailed activity types that form ‘Fitness activities’, ‘Sports and Games’, and ‘Outdoor Pursuits’.  Doing so enables a deeper level of insight into the activities that adults participate in or wanted to do more of. 

How each activity ranks relative to one another is fundamentally dependent on how that activity is defined.   When a broader definition is used for an activity or when more activities are grouped together, the more likely it will be that adults will have either participated in that activity or have demand for that activity.   Moreover, smaller sample sizes require broader definitions to be used in order to robustly report on specific activity types, meaning sample size, definitions and results are inextricably linked (see below for examples of why this matters).

Helpful information

How activities are categorised matters:

For example, the percentage of adults taking part in ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ would be much higher if ‘Walking over 2 miles’ was reclassified from a ‘Fitness Activity’ and into this group. Also, some categories contain a greater quantity of activities (e.g. Team Sports has 21 subtypes) than others, which might only contain a few (e.g. ‘Cycling’ has three – ‘BMX’, ‘Mountain Biking’ and ‘Other type of outdoor or track cycling’).

How activities are grouped together matters:

For example, ‘Athletics’ would rank much lower than shown, and relative to other activities, if ‘Jogging or Running’ was excluded from the definition presented for that sport.  Moreover, and linked to the point above, it would also instead have been grouped with ‘Sports and Games’.

Ability to report on activities is linked to sample size:

Also, if sample size decreases, there may only be the opportunity to report on broad activity classifications.  For example, with a large sample size we would detect the prevalence of football, rugby union, cricket etc. (i.e. different types of team sports) whereas with small samples it may only be possible to report on ‘Team Sports’ in general as an activity type 

For this report the most detailed level of analysis has been used whenever practical and useful. This analysis revealed that ‘Walking over 2 miles’ remains the most common activity type through which adults are active, despite there being relatively low demand.  Indeed, for most types of ‘Fitness activity’ those who participated in them far exceeded the level of demand to do more of that activity (e.g. worked out at home. going to the gym, running or jogging, fitness classes).  This is not the case for many of the more traditional sports and outdoor pursuits where demand is more in line with participation (Table 6.1, Table 6.2 and Table 6.3).

6.1 Fitness activities

The ‘Fitness Activity’ adults participated in the most was ‘Walking over 2 miles’.  ‘Going to the gym’ was most in demand.

Table 6.1: The percentage and number of adults who participated in the last 4 weeks or had demand to do more by activity type (Fitness Activity)

6.2 Sports and games

The activity adults participate in the most within ‘Sports and Games’ was ‘Golf’. 'Football' was the activity that was most in demand.

Table 6.2: The percentage and number of adults who participated in the last 4-weeks or had demand to do more by activity type (Sports and Games)

6.3 Outdoor pursuits

The ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ adults participated in the most was ‘Climbing / mountaineering’.  This and ‘Canoeing / Kayaking’ were most in demand.

Table 6.3: The percentage and number of adults who participated in the last 4-weeks or had demand to do more by activity type (Outdoor Pursuits)

It should be noted that most of the detailed activity types mentioned explicitly within the survey (there were around 90 activity types listed in total) had a low level of response  at the individual activity level. For this reason activities needed to be aggregated to broader categories or grouped for the purpose of reporting.  If an activity cannot be found in the tables it is due to the low level of participation or demand across all adults in Wales.  

6.4 Next update

The Welsh Government survey team will publish detailed bulletins on additional topics from the National Survey for Wales over the coming months.

The next round of National Survey results is expected to be published in summer 2027. The update will cover results from the 2026-27 fieldwork year.

 

A1 - ‘Fitness Activity’, ‘Sports and Games’, and ‘Outdoor Pursuits’ Classification

*** Any subcategory with a ‘*’ next to it can be analytically divided into more detailed related activity types.  The number of further categories that are explicit in the questionnaire is shown alongside.  See Questionnaire for full details.

A2 - Sport Partnership Area - Geographical Footprint

A3 Combined Activity Breakdown 2024-25 (all with > 30 responses)

Table A1: The percentage and number of adults who participated in the last 4-weeks or had demand to do more by detailed activity type