Alongside the research to calculate social value, in 2023 we commissioned the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University and Manchester Metropolitan University to analyse data and formulate a value for return on investment.
The return of £4.20 for every £1 spent, is calculated by dividing the social and social value figure (£147.7bn) by the amount of sport-related economic activity (£35bn) - up from £3.91 in 2017/18.
This work is part of a three-year project, with the next two years of the overall project providing further analysis that builds on our understanding of how the social value of sport and physical activity is generated and distributed between different people, places, activities and stakeholders.
Return on investment: how it's calculated
The economic and social value figure consists of £107bn of social value in the form of primary wellbeing and secondary health benefits, a further £6 billion for the replacement value of volunteers, plus £35bn in sport-related economic activity (known as gross value added – GVA).
Meanwhile, the investment calculation of £35bn includes:
- £26.4bn of consumer spending (on goods and equipment, members’ fees, and clothing and footwear used for participation, for example)
- £2bn from local and national government
- £1bn from educational institutions and charities
- £5.6bn relating to the replacement cost of volunteer time (based on the number of regular volunteers that support sport and physical activity, the average number of hours that they contribute annually, and the average hourly wage).
By dividing the value figure by the investment, the research creates an overall return on investment ratio for economic and social outcomes in 2022/23 of 4.20 – up from 3.91 in 2017/18.
For more detail on how the figures were calculated, please download the report below.
Sport and physical activity contribute significantly to the health and wellbeing of England.
Our updated model highlights the social value created by community sports, estimating that over £107 billion in social value was generated in 2022/23 alone.
This figure represents both primary value - the wellbeing benefits that individuals experience from being active - and secondary value, which reflects the cost savings to public services like healthcare.
Social value calculations are particularly important for community sport and physical activity, where lots of activity is self-organised or volunteer-led and much of its value to society comes in the form of improved wellbeing and better physical and mental health.
You can explore the findings of this model in detail through the reports outlined below - these consist of a summary report, as well as both primary and secondary value reports.
Social value broken down
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£107.2 billion – Total annual social value of sport and physical activity in England for 2022-23.
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£96.7 billion – Primary value of sport and physical activity: individual wellbeing
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£10.5 billion – Secondary value of sport and physical activity: wider value to society
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£96.7 billion in Primary value
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£8.2 billion – adult volunteering to support sport and physical activity.
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This figure consists of an average value per adult of £2,100 from weekly volunteering and £1,000 per adult from monthly volunteering.
£79.9 billion – adult participation
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The figure consists of an average value per ‘active’ adult of £2,500 and an average value per ‘fairly active’ adult of £1,200.
£8.6 billion – children and young people (ages 11-16) participation.
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The figure consists of an average value per ‘active’ young person of £4,100 and an average value per ‘fairly active’ young person of £3,100.
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£10.5 billion – secondary value of sport and physical activity: wider value to society.
A graphic appears on screen with the Secondary value figure at the top, with three arrows underneath it showing the three values that contribute to the total figure.
£1.3 billion – reduced GP visits and mental health service usage
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£9.3 billion – prevention of disease and chronic health conditions (across 14 health outcomes – e.g. depression and type 2 diabetes).
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-£0.13 billion – cost of sports injuries
Average secondary health value per ‘active’ adult is £315.
Average secondary health value per ‘fairly active’ adult is £230.
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£15.6 billion – annual cost of inequality in adult physical activity levels (calculated from both primary and secondary values).
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To find our more please see our report: sportengland.org/socialvalue
Special thanks to our partners:
Manchester Metropolitan University
Sheffield Hallam University
State of Life
See the research
Summary report
A high-level overview of the key findings from Sport England’s updated model of social value.
See the reportPrimary value report
Explore the wellbeing benefits generated from participating and volunteering in sport and physical activity.
This report breaks down the £96.7bn of primary value produced in 2022/23, highlighting its significance for different demographic groups.
See the reportSecondary value report
Discover the £10.5bn of secondary value created through reduced disease cases and lower demands on health and social care services.
This report explains how physical activity prevents millions of cases of diseases like depression and Type 2 diabetes a year, generating substantial savings for the public sector.
See the reportSocial value where you are
Economic impact: Sport Satellite Account for the UK
In addition to the social benefits, sport and physical activity makes a substantial contribution to the UK economy.
The latest Sport Satellite Account for the UK - with breakdowns for each home nation including England - presents the economic value of the sport sector for the year 2021.
This release, provided by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in October 2024, examines the annual economic output, gross value added (GVA), and sport-related employment for the sector.
The overall value for the UK of £99.6bn, with the figure for England calculated to be £87bn, with a GVA of £46.7bn.
This analysis and insight into sport-related economic activity is complementary to our social value research, with both important to making informed and effective policy decisions.
Overall picture
Together, ours and the Government's models provide a robust and detailed understanding of how community sport and physical activity improves lives, delivers wider value to society and contributes to the nation's economy.
This evidence is crucial for making the case for continued investment in sport and physical activity, ensuring these benefits reach those who need them most.
Previous research
This model, published in October 2024, builds on previous research from 2000 that calculated for every £1 spent on community sport and physical activity, a return on onvestment (RoI) of £3.91 was created for individuals and society.
It also found the combined economic and social value (SROI) of taking part in community sport and physical activity in England in 2017/2018 was £85.5 billion.
Social and economic value of community sport and physical activity
The research showed that £42bnn worth of value was created from improved life satisfaction for 24m participants and 3.9m volunteers through their involvement in sport and physical activity.
Read moreThe findings also demonstrated how physical activity plays an important role in preventing a number of serious physical and mental health conditions, with the research showing this had a value of £9.5bn.
Of this amount, £5.2bn was in healthcare savings, while £1.7bn was in social care savings.
More than £3.6bn worth of savings were generated by the prevention of 900,000 cases of diabetes, while a further £3.5bn of value was generated through avoided dementia cases and the related care.
A total of £450 million was saved by preventing 30 million additional GP visits.
A further £20bn of value came from stronger and safer communities, including:
As with the new model, there were three reports produced for the 2000 publication.
A summary report, one on the SROI and one on the economic importance of sport and physical activity.
The reports were produced by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, but we also published simple breakdowns of the social value figure for each local authority and Active Partnership area.
The spreadsheet, which consisted of three tabs of information:
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