Key stats
on movement and mental health
About physical activity and mental health:
Physical activity is proven to support more than 20 common health conditions (including physical and mental health) and reducing inactivity can in turn reduce the risk of some health conditions by between 10% and 50%, depending on the condition (Academy of Medical Sciences, 2015).
The Big Mental Health Report (Mind, 2024) suggests adults are feeling lonelier, and both adults and young people say their wellbeing is getting worse. Providing support for these issues isn’t cheap – the crisis of poor mental health is calculated at £300 billion a year in England alone, double the NHS annual budget (Cardoso and McHayle, 2024).
People living with less commonly understood mental health problems in England are up to twice as likely to report experiences of poor physical health (Pizzol et al., 2023). They’re also around 5 times more likely to die prematurely (below the age of 75) than those without mental health problems (OHID, 2023).
In addition to the individual health benefits of physical activity, there are significant economic benefits:
Sport England, with support of Sheffield Hallam University and Manchester Metropolitan calculated the annual social value of community sport and physical activity to be more than £100 billion, with a return on investment of £4.20 for every £1 spent.
Visit the Sport England website for more information on the social value and return on investment of sport and physical activity.
