Number of people using leisure centres in England jumps – creating £890m of social value

The number of people using leisure centres increased sharply during 2023-24, according to the new Moving Communities Impact Report, released by Sport England.

Data from 563 public sector leisure centres in England shows that the average number of people taking part in activities per individual site was up by almost a thousand people (7%), while overall visits grew by over 10,000 per year (5%).

Encouragingly, the report shows that the increase in leisure centre usage by economically disadvantaged groups is notable, with visits from users in the most deprived 20% of areas increasing by 9% (100,000 people).

The report also found that leisure centres generated a social value of £890m in 2023-24, which is an increase from £842m in the previous year.

Emma Bernstein, Sport England’s strategic projects lead, said: “The value of public leisure facilities to our communities cannot be overstated.

“They are more than just places to exercise; they are lifelines in offering crucial social connection, mental health support and physical health benefits.

“This report showcases their importance, but even more so, how they have continued to provide those benefits during particularly tough times.”

The report is based on the Moving Communities service, which measures physical activity levels and other key performance metrics across delivery programmes and facilities in local places, and the wider social value that creates.

The service provides a real-time view of delivery across programmes, facilities and places, with benchmarking and filtering functionality, alongside mapping tools to understand who’s participating and its wider impact on local communities.

The full report can be downloaded and viewed here.