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31 May 2026  2 min read

Sport England Active Lives: Survey shows adult basketball participation remains steady

They show basketball is the third most-played team sport by adults after football and cricket and, when combined with the number of under-16s who regularly play, second overall to football.

The latest survey, which tracks people’s engagement with sport and physical activity, shows that more than 30 million adults in England are now meeting the recommended levels of physical activity, including millions taking part in sport, as participation continues to steadily rise. 

However, the public body cites that significant inequalities persist, with 'some groups and communities still far less likely to be active than others', including those from less affluent backgrounds, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, older adults (75+) and people from certain ethnicities.  

According to the data tables, over 320,000 adults (aged 16+) take part in basketball at least twice in the last 28 days. The gender split is 253,600 men and 65,700 women.

That means basketball adult participation numbers are slightly down on the 339,300 recorded in the previous 12 months. 

Sport England has recorded the amounts of people playing basketball since its Active Lives surveys began in 2015.

In its last Children and Young People survey (academic year 2024-25), which was published in December 2025 and summarises the sport and physical activity behaviours of 5-16-year-olds in England, nearly 1.1 million were playing basketball every week, with the gender split being 741,600 boys and 328,800 girls.

That makes basketball the second most-played team sport by under-16s after football. 

The overall figure is recorded as a 1% 'significant decrease' on the previous academic year (1,157,300). 

Access the data tables