inclusivefitness.org Accessible Fitness & Active Living

Statistics

Recreational Walking Participation Statistics

Participation figures from national surveys in the United States, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, England and Wales, with definitions and time periods.

November 12, 2026 9 min read inclusivefitness.org Editorial Team

Contents

National estimates show that recreational walking is common, but each survey measures it differently. In the United States, 58.7% of adults walked for leisure during the 7 days before the 2022 National Health Interview Survey. This is a short recall measure of any leisure walking in that period. [Source: Walking for Leisure and Transportation Among Adults: United States, 2022]

Scotland’s adult survey uses a participation measure described as walking for recreational purposes for at least 30 minutes. On that basis, 71% of adults reported recreational walking in 2023, up from 64% in 2014. The series indicates growth across those reported endpoints, though the definition is not identical to the U.S. question about any leisure walking in the past 7 days. [Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation — Adults]

Ireland’s 2021 Irish Sports Monitor reported that 74% of respondents walked regularly for recreation, representing approximately 2.8 million people. “Regularly” is the source’s framing; the figure should not be treated as a measure of walking on a particular number of days or over a fixed recall window. [Source: Irish Sports Monitor Annual Report 2021]

Place and survey yearReported recreational or leisure walking measureEstimate
United States, 2022Adults who walked for leisure in the past 7 days58.7%
Scotland, 2014Adult recreational walking participation64%
Scotland, 2023Adult recreational walking participation71%
Ireland, 2021Respondents who walked regularly for recreation74%
Ireland, 2021Estimated people who walked regularly for recreationApproximately 2.8 million

[Sources: U.S. National Center for Health Statistics; Scottish Government, adults; Irish Sports Monitor]

These figures establish the scale of participation within each survey’s own population and definition. They do not create a direct country ranking: the U.S. figure refers to any leisure walking in a 7-day period, Scotland specifies recreational walking for at least 30 minutes, and Ireland reports regular participation. The measured periods also differ, so the estimates should be read as separate national snapshots rather than as a uniform international comparison.

Recreational Walking Participation Statistics by Age and Sex

Scottish survey results for 2023 show similar recreational walking participation across the 2 adult age groups reported for ages 16–59. Participation was 77% among adults aged 16–34 and 76% among those aged 35–59. In the same table, 72% of men and 71% of women participated. These figures describe the Scottish Health Survey measure for recreational walking, rather than weekly participation or walking over a set distance. [Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation — Adults]

Norway’s 2020 survey recorded outdoor activities during the previous 12 months. For “on a shorter walk,” participation among people aged 16 and over was 77% overall, including 73% of males and 80% of females. Its age breakdown shows 74% for ages 16–24, 81% for ages 25–44, 77% for ages 45–66, and 73% for those aged 67 and older. The activity label is “shorter walk,” and the year-long recall period differs from the Scottish recreational-walking measure. [Source: Sports and outdoor activities, survey on living conditions]

Survey and measureGroupParticipation
Scotland, 2023: recreational walkingAges 16–3477%
Scotland, 2023: recreational walkingAges 35–5976%
Scotland, 2023: recreational walkingMen72%
Scotland, 2023: recreational walkingWomen71%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsAll people aged 16+77%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsMales aged 16+73%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsFemales aged 16+80%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsAges 16–2474%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsAges 25–4481%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsAges 45–6677%
Norway, 2020: shorter walk in past 12 monthsAges 67+73%

[Sources: Scottish Government, adults; Statistics Norway]

The reported age patterns are not interchangeable. Norway’s highest listed age-group estimate is 81% among people aged 25–44; Scotland’s 2 listed groups are close at 77% and 76%. The age bands, survey years, walking definitions and recall periods differ. These data support description within each survey, but not a claim that one country’s age group is more active than another’s.

Sex comparisons also depend on the chosen measure. Scotland reports participation rates of 72% for men and 71% for women in 2023, while Norway reports 73% for males and 80% for females taking a shorter walk over the previous 12 months in 2020. The figures point in different directions, underscoring that definitions and survey context matter when describing sex differences.

Recreational Walking Participation Statistics and Disability Access

In Scotland in 2023, recreational walking participation was 50% among adults classified as disabled and 79% among adults without disability. The Scottish report defines disability for this analysis as the presence of a long-term life-limiting illness. The report also states that the participation gap was 29 percentage points in 2023, compared with 31 percentage points in 2014. [Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation]

Scotland, 2023Recreational walking participation
Adults with disability, as defined in the report50%
Adults without disability79%

[Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation]

The gap is a difference in reported participation between the 2 groups. The figures do not explain why the rates differ or identify specific barriers. They do show that participation is not uniform across the population under the report’s definition. The Scottish analysis covers adults aged 16 and over for inequality comparisons; the report’s other sport and recreational-walking indicators use ages 16–59. Keeping those analysis populations distinct is important when reading the figures together.

Recreational Walking Participation Statistics Across Income and Deprivation

Scottish 2023 results show a difference in recreational walking participation by area deprivation. The rate was 60% among adults living in the most deprived areas (SIMD 1) and 80% among adults in the least deprived areas (SIMD 5). These are endpoints of the deprivation grouping reported by the Scottish Health Survey. [Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation]

Scottish area deprivation group, 2023Recreational walking participation
SIMD 1, most deprived60%
SIMD 5, least deprived80%

[Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation]

The report says participation among adults in the most deprived areas remained within 57%–63% over the 2014–2023 time series. For the least deprived areas, it gives a 2014 rate of 71%; the 2023 table reports 80%. Together, these observations describe a stable range in the most deprived group alongside higher reported endpoints in the least deprived group. [Source: Sport and Physical Activity: State of the Nation]

These are area-based deprivation comparisons, not household income estimates. The figures do not establish that deprivation itself caused participation differences, nor do they show what individual circumstances account for them. They provide a population pattern that can be read alongside the disability results, while preserving each analysis’s distinct grouping and scope.

Recreational Walking Participation Statistics: Survey Measures and Walking Frequency

Frequency and recall windows shape what a walking participation percentage means. In England, 55% of adults reported walking for leisure at least once per week in 2023, compared with 51% in 2019. Within England in 2023, the South West had the highest reported regional prevalence for this weekly leisure measure, at 62%. These are weekly-frequency measures and should not be equated with any walking in a recent week or regular walking without a specified frequency. [Source: Walking and cycling statistics, England: Local area walking and cycling rates (Active Lives Survey)]

Scotland’s transport evaluation reports a different question: walking just for pleasure or to keep fit at least 1 day in the previous week. The reported population rate was 62% in 2019 and 74% in 2021. For 2023, the report gives rates of 72% for men and 68% for women. These results preserve the source’s purpose wording and one-day threshold. [Source: Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2024: Reduces Inequalities]

In Wales, 36.70% of adults reported walking over 2 miles during the previous 4 weeks in 2024–25. This measure includes a distance threshold and a longer recall window than the English weekly leisure indicator. Its value therefore describes a different slice of participation; it is not a lower-frequency version of the England or Scotland measures. [Source: Sport and Active Lifestyles: State of the Nation report 2024–25]

Place and periodMeasureEstimate
England, 2019Adults walking for leisure at least once per week51%
England, 2023Adults walking for leisure at least once per week55%
South West, England, 2023Adults walking for leisure at least once per week62%
Scotland, 2019Walking for pleasure or fitness at least 1 day in past week62%
Scotland, 2021Walking for pleasure or fitness at least 1 day in past week74%
Scotland, 2023Men walking for pleasure or fitness at least 1 day in past week72%
Scotland, 2023Women walking for pleasure or fitness at least 1 day in past week68%
Wales, 2024–25Adults walking over 2 miles in past 4 weeks36.70%

[Sources: England Active Lives Survey; Transport Scotland; Sport Wales]

Ireland’s regular-walking series adds another view: 66% of respondents reported walking regularly for recreation in 2019, and the rate was 74% in 2021. In 2021, the report recorded 78% among women and 69% among men. These sex-specific estimates use the same “regularly for recreation” framing as the overall Irish measure. [Source: Irish Sports Monitor Annual Report 2021]

Across these sources, “recreational walking” can mean any leisure walking in the past 7 days, at least 30 minutes for recreation, regular walking, a shorter walk during the past 12 months, weekly leisure walking, walking for pleasure or fitness on at least 1 day in the prior week, or walking over 2 miles in the previous 4 weeks. The figures are most useful when each is kept attached to its definition, population and date. They document participation under several national survey measures without implying a single shared threshold or a common current-year rate.

Sources

Written by

inclusivefitness.org Editorial Team

Editorial team

Independent editorial coverage of accessible fitness & active living.

More to Explore

Statistics November 12, 2026

Adult Muscle Strengthening Activity Statistics

Healthy People 2030 reports that 32.9% of U.S. adults met its leisure-time muscle-strengthening measure in 2024. Estimates also vary across age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, income, insurance, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, and marital status.

7 min read Read article