Adults in England's most deprived neighbourhoods are nearly twice as likely to be physically inactive as those in the least deprived (41% vs 22%). The cliff lies between the fourth and fifth quintiles, and the pattern holds for men and women alike.
One of five short reports in our Health Survey for England 2024 series, drawing on data published by NHS England in early 2026. The other four are linked at the foot of this page.
Adults in England's most deprived neighbourhoods are nearly twice as likely to be physically inactive as those in the least deprived. The Health Survey for England 2024 finds that 41% of adults in the most deprived quintile do less than 30 minutes of moderate-or-vigorous activity per week, compared with 22% in the least deprived.
What the numbers say
Share of adults inactive (below 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week), age-standardised, by IMD quintile:
Group | Least deprived | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Most deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men | 23% | 21% | 22% | 26% | 40% |
Women | 21% | 26% | 22% | 31% | 41% |
All adults | 22% | 24% | 22% | 29% | 41% |
The mirror image, adults meeting the 30-minute-per-week threshold:
Group | Least deprived | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Most deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men | 77% | 79% | 78% | 74% | 60% |
Women | 79% | 74% | 78% | 69% | 59% |
All adults | 78% | 76% | 78% | 71% | 59% |
What that means
The three least deprived quintiles look broadly similar, inactivity hovers around 22% to 24%, and then the picture changes sharply. The fourth quintile sees inactivity rise to 29%, and in the most deprived quintile it almost doubles, to 41%.
The pattern is not driven by one sex. Men in the most deprived fifth of England are inactive at 40%, women at 41%. For women, the trend is more incremental from the second quintile onwards. For men, the bulk of the deprivation effect is concentrated in the most deprived group.
That cliff edge between the fourth and fifth quintiles is the practical finding. Whatever combination of cost, time, safe space, work patterns, or health is suppressing activity in England's most deprived neighbourhoods, it is acting much more strongly there than in the next-poorest fifth, and it is acting on men and women in roughly equal measure.
Related reports in this NHS England Health Survey 2024 series
Chronic pain in England has a clear shape, and women carry more of it
Inactive adults are more than twice as likely to feel lonely often
Source: Health Survey for England 2024, NHS England (Table 18). Adults aged 16 and over. Activity levels based on self-reported moderate or vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Unweighted base: 6,557 adults across the five IMD quintiles. Figures are age-standardised.
