What are Active Lives surveys?
Active Lives surveys from Sport England measure the physical activity levels of people across England.
Sport England run two surveys each year: Active Lives Adult and the world-leading Active Lives Children and Young People.
Both give a unique and comprehensive view of how people are getting active. On this page, you can discover and explore the data from these surveys that is relevant to Greater Manchester.
62.1% of adults in Greater Manchester are physically active*
Adult physical activity is at an all-time high in Greater Manchester.
11% are fairly active (30-149 minutes of activity a week) and 26.9% are inactive (less than 30 minutes a week).
*Active refers to Chief Medical Officer guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate intensity (raises heart rate) physical activity a week.
How have physical activity levels in adults changed in Greater Manchester?
Around 1,492,100 adults are active in Greater Manchester, which is the highest since the survey began (2015-16).
This is a slight increase from the previous 12 months (61.3%) and indicates a longer term trend of recovery to pre-pandemic levels (62.0% in 2018-19).
50.1% of children in Greater Manchester are physically active*
Children’s physical activity levels are also at an all-time high in Greater Manchester.
21.1% are fairly active (averaging between 30-59 minutes of activity a day) and 28.8% are less active (averaging less than 30 minutes of activity a day).
*Active refers to Chief Medical Officer guidelines of an average of 60 minutes of moderate intensity (raises heart rate) physical activity a day.
How have physical activity levels in children and young people changed in Greater Manchester?
Around 208,100 children and young people are active in Greater Manchester, which is the highest since the survey began (2015-16).
This is a slight increase from the previous 12 months (48.7%).
Run your own query
Looking to dig into the results from the survey? Explore Sport England’s Active Lives data in depth with their online tool.
What are the physical activity levels in each borough of Greater Manchester?
Activity levels are different in each borough of Greater Manchester. We have gathered the findings for you to explore below.
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Bolton
Adults:
55.7% are active (58.8% 12 months ago)
11.0% are fairly active (9.7% 12 months ago)
33.4% are inactive (31.5% 12 months ago)
Children:
50.2% are active (58.0% 12 months ago)
21.1% are fairly active (18.1% 12 months ago)
28.7% are less active (23.9% 12 months ago)
-
Bury
Adults:
62.6% are active (66.9% 12 months ago)
13.9% are fairly active (9.0% 12 months ago)
23.4% are inactive (24% 12 months ago)
Children:
60.6% are active (49.2% 12 months ago)
16.9% are fairly active (20.7% 12 months ago)
22.6% are less active (30.1% 12 months ago)
-
Manchester
Adults:
66.3% are active (64.0% 12 months ago)
10.1% are fairly active (8.6% 12 months ago)
23.6% are inactive (27.3% 12 months ago)
Children:
40.7% are active (51.9% 12 months ago)
20.8% are fairly active (20.0% 12 months ago)
38.6% are less active (28.0% 12 months ago)
-
Oldham
Adults:
56.6% are active (54.5% 12 months ago)
10.0% are fairly active (9.6% 12 months ago)
33.4% are inactive (35.9% 12 months ago)
Children:
43.5% are active (36.1% 12 months ago)
18.9% are fairly active (24.5% 12 months ago)
37.6% are less active (39.4% 12 months ago)
-
Rochdale
Adults:
58.0% are active (53.9% 12 months ago)
10.5% are fairly active (12.8% 12 months ago)
31.4% are inactive (33.3% 12 months ago)
Children:
50.8% are active (49.1% 12 months ago)
19.4% are fairly active (13.3% 12 months ago)
29.8% are less active (37.6% 12 months ago)
-
Salford
Adults:
67.3% are active (62.3% 12 months ago)
10.2% are fairly active (10.7% 12 months ago)
22.5% are inactive (27.0% 12 months ago)
Children:
57.4% are active (38.8% 12 months ago)
18.3% are fairly active (25.7% 12 months ago)
24.3% are less active (35.5% 12 months ago)
-
Stockport
Adults:
68.5% are active (66.4% 12 months ago)
9.7% are fairly active (11.7% 12 months ago)
21.7% are inactive (22.0% 12 months ago
Children:
53.1% are active (42.4% 12 months ago)
21.3% are fairly active (26.3% 12 months ago)
25.6% are less active (31.2% 12 months ago)
-
Tameside
Adults:
57.7% are active (57.1% 12 months ago)
10.5% are fairly active (11.5% 12 months ago)
31.8% are inactive (31.4% 12 months ago)
Children:
No 2024/25 data available (55.3% 12 months ago)
No 2024/25 data available (19.6% 12 months ago)
No 2024/25 data available (25.0% inactive 12 months ago)
-
Trafford
Adults:
67.8% are active (62.9% 12 months ago)
13.2% are fairly active (11.5% 12 months ago)
19.0% are inactive (25.6% 12 months ago)
Children:
46.5% are active (49.9% 12 months ago)
29.6% are fairly active (28.8% 12 months ago)
23.9% are less active (21.3% 12 months ago)
-
Wigan
Adults:
55.9% are active (61.5% 12 months ago)
12.5% are fairly active (11.5% 12 months ago)
31.6% are less active (27.0% 12 months ago)
Children:
52.6% are active (52.1% 12 months ago)
22.3% are fairly active (19.2% 12 months ago)
25.1% are less active (28.7% 12 months ago)
Explore the trends in Greater Manchester
Adults data
Coming soon: A full breakdown of the latest data for adults in Greater Manchester
Children and young people data
