The UK’S “Most Active Regions” Revealed

A league table revealing the regions where people exercise or play sport the most every month has been revealed.

A survey of more than 7,600 UK adults published by the sports equipment, clothing and accessories store Decathlon in their Activity Index 2018, which surveys levels of physical activity and participation in sport every month, revealed that the North East is the most active region in the UK.

Residents in this part of the country exercise more often per month than any other, doing so a 5.20 times per month on average – compared to the UK average of 4.82 times per week.

The data also painted a picture of the UK’s most physically active person.

Men aged 35-44 living in the North East are the most active, exercising or playing sport more than those of any other age, gender or region.

Those living in Northern Ireland (5.04 times) and the South West (5.03 times) in cities like Bristol and Bath were the second and third most active in the UK.

Wales (5.02 times) and Scotland (4.87 times) completed the list of the top five most active regions in the UK.

The top 10 most active regions in the UK:

• 1.            North East
• 2.            Northern Ireland
• 3.            South West
• 4.            Wales
• 5.            Scotland
• 6.            Yorkshire and Humberside
• 7.            East Midlands
• 8.            South East
• 9.            West Midlands
• 10.          London

Philippe Rebelo, UK marketing director at Decathlon, commented: “It’s interesting to see how widely spread activity levels across the UK are. There is no clear North-South divide in terms of participation in sport and exercise, but it is interesting to see how low down London is on the list – being the third least active region in the UK.

“It is encouraging that it looks like, on average, British adults exercise at least once per week, even in the least active regions – but this could be higher. Playing sport or exercising needn’t be expensive – it doesn’t have to involve pricey equipment or membership fees. It can be as simple as heading out for a walk or a run. And equipment and sporting apparel can be quite affordable these days, so even when some form of padding or technical wear is required to exercise safely, it doesn’t have to break the bank.”

The research found that those living in the North West were the least active in the country.

Residents across areas such as Liverpool, Manchester and Chester take part in sport or exercise 4.47 times in a month.

The NHS advises that adults aged 19 to 64 should “be active daily” and do “150 minutes of weekly physical activity”.

The Decathlon Activity Index tracks rates of participation in sport and other physical activities across the year through a monthly, national survey.