Latest Active Lives Data Sees Hertfordshire Remain Above National Average

Sport England’s latest Adult Active Lives Survey shows a small national increase in physical activity, with 64.6% of adults now meeting recommended levels, while Hertfordshire continues to outperform this at 67.5%. National insights highlight increases in activity were driven by older adults, but significant inequalities remain, endorsing the wider project work conducted here at HSP.

The latest results from Sport England’s Adult Active Lives Survey were released in April, and nationally, the proportion of adults meeting recommended activity levels (more than 150 minutes per week) has risen slightly over the past year, from 63.8% in 2023/24 to 64.6% in 2024/25. This also represents a 2.5 percentage point increase since the survey began in 2015/16. Here in Hertfordshire, we continue to outperform the national picture with headline data demonstrating an impressive 67.5% of adults in the county being classed as active. Similarly, fewer residents are inactive compared to the rest of the country (21.9% vs 24.7%).

National insights show that much of this improvement in physical activity has been driven by older adults becoming more active, with activity levels in the 75+ group increasing by 1.5 percentage points from the 2023/24 data (44.3% vs. 42.8%). At Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership (HSP), our Live Longer Better programme continues to expand with 3,000+ individuals becoming part of the Liver Longer Better revolution, while strength and balance classes coordinated in partnership with Stevenage FC Foundation also continue to deliver excellent activity provision for older adults at 21 sites across the county.  

However, it is recognised that whilst there have been positive results at a headline level, significant inequalities remain, especially those related to disability, ethnicity and affluence. In the more detailed national data, there is a near 20% gap in individuals who are active from the most affluent (73.2%) to least affluent group (53.8%), while activity levels have not increased in black and Asian groups in the last 9 years. For disabled adults, they also are 20% less likely to be active than those without a disability or long-term health condition (69.8% vs. 49.1%). These disparities underline the importance of continuing HSP's place-based work, and focus on disabilities (No Limits 2026 campaign), to ensure that opportunities to be active are accessible where some of the greatest inequality is experienced.

HSP continue to be proud of the concerted efforts across the county to support physical activity provision and look forward to sharing a full county-wide breakdown later in the summer when this data is released.

Useful links are provided below:

Hertfordshire Active Lives Adult Headline Data 24/25

National Active Lives Adult Data 24/25

Active Partnerships Response to Active Lives Data