Insight Driving the Campaign

No Limits 2026 has been created based on the need to support people with a disability to be more active by understanding context in Hertfordshire. In Hertfordshire around 170,000 people have a disability that limits their day-to-day activity, this is 14.4% of the population and an audience that face disadvantage in being active. The links on this page will help signpost you to key research, data and insight to understand the status of disabled people in Hertfordshire and wider learnings from national research. 
 

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Disability Profile of Herts

The table below provides a breakdown of the categories of disability including number of people and percentage of total population in Hertfordshire.
 

	Disabled under the Equality Act	Disabled under the Equality Act: Day-to-day activities limited a lot	Disabled under the Equality Act: Day-to-day activities limited a little	Not disabled under the Equality Act
Hertfordshire	172,675 (14.4%)	66,460 (5.5%)	106,215 (8.9%)	1,026,123 (85.6%)

 

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Key Links and Research 

34% of adults with a disability or long-term health condition in Hertfordshire are inactive (doing fewer than 30 minutes a week), this is double non-disabled rate (17%), and 23.5% currently do no activity at all.

Adult Active Lives 23-24 - Sport England
 

The benefit of being ‘active’ is three or four times greater for disabled people than non-disabled people.

Social value of disabled people’s physical activity - Activity Alliance
 

1 in 5 adults in England are living with a common mental health problem - adults in the most deprived areas have higher rates of mental health problems (26.2%) than those in the least deprived areas (16.0%).

The Big Mental Health Report 2025 - Mind
 

Disabled people account for 13% of workers within the Sport & Physical Activity Workforce, compared with a national average across all occupations of 16.4%.

Workforce Insights Report 2023 - CIMSPA

Children with SEND or disabilities are at risk of the largest decline in 60-minute daily activity levels from 32% (2025) to 28% (2035)

Youth Sport Trust - Class of 2035 Report

Broxbourne (36.4%) and East Hertfordshire (32.4%) recorded the highest percentage of people with high anxiety levels.

Personal well-being in the UK - Office for National Statistics
 

Over 20,000 (40%) of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimant’s primary disability in Hertfordshire is Psychiatric disorders. This category includes anxiety and depression, learning disabilities and autism.

Personal Independence Payment Official Statistics to January 2025
 

Young disabled people are most likely to be active at school, outdoor spaces (e.g. park, seaside or street) or at home.

Play, move, belong: Active futures for young disabled people – Activity Alliance
 

There are 9,804 pupils (4.3%) with a statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in Hertfordshire.

Herts Insight – Disability (Page 9)