Key statistics:

• The social value generated by community sport and physical activity is calculated at £107.2 billion a year.
• Active lives prevent 1.3 million cases of depression, 600,000 of diabetes & 57,000 of dementia a year
• Improved health outcomes help relieve pressure on the NHS through £10.5 billion in wider health and social care savings
• Active lives save £540 million on reduced GP visits & £780 million on reduced mental health service use
• Wellbeing Value is the monetary value that can be placed on happiness, health and life satisfaction. Being physically active generates a wellbeing value of £2,500 per adult – while being ‘fairly active’ also brings significant benefits of £1,200 per adult
• Wellbeing values are also higher than average for many groups that are most likely to experience inequalities in participation – such as older people, people with disabilities or a long-term health condition, as well as people from Asian backgrounds
• For adults with 2 or more intersecting characteristics of inequality – such as an older person who is disabled – wellbeing values from an active lifestyle are £3,800 per ‘active’ adult: £1,300 or around 50% higher per person than the population average
• However, the social cost of inequalities in adult activity levels is calculated at £15.6 billion a year

As an Active Partnership, Think Active support the response to this report by the National Sectors Partner Group – link to NSPG response – which calls on the Government to use the Budget to drive physical activity and make the UK the most active nation.

Read the full Social Value Report from Sport England: https://www.sportengland.org/news-and-inspiration/sport-and-physical-activity-generates-over-100-billion-social-value