The number of children playing table tennis every week is on the rise, according to the latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Report released by Sport England today, 

The survey found that in the 2024-2025 academic year:

• About 298,400 children and young people in school Years 1-11 in England participate in table tennis in any given week (about 4.8% of the population). This has risen from 288,000 in 2023-2024
• About 210,800 boys in school Years 1-11 participate in table tennis in any given week (about 5.6% of the population). This has risen from 195,003 in 2023-2024
• About 85,400 girls in school Years 1-11 participate in table tennis in any given week (about 2.3% of the population). This has fallen slightly from 88,598 in 2023-2024

In the wider sporting landscape, the number of children and young people playing sport and taking part in physical activity in England is at the highest level since the Active Lives Survey begun in 2017-18.

• More than half a million (580,000) more children meet the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity every day than there were seven years ago – an increase of 5.8%
• 49.1% of children and young people are classed as ‘Active’ in meeting an average of 60+ minutes of physical activity a day
• The report also shows that inequalities amongst children and young people are still present, with participation in sport and physical activity varying greatly among different demographic groups

For more information about the Active Lives Survey and table tennis, visit our Insight and Impact page. The adult Active Lives report will be released in April.