Official Statistics

Walking and cycling statistics, England: 2021

Published 31 August 2022

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/walking-and-cycling-statistics-england-2021/walking-and-cycling-statistics-england-2021

About this release

This statistical release presents information on walking and cycling in England in 2021 using 2 main data sources, the:

Statistics are derived from the NTS unless otherwise stated. More information on these data sources can be found in the background quality report.

Some key uses of the data include describing patterns in walking and cycling, monitoring trends and contributing to evaluation of policies.

Main points

Walking

Walking levels in 2021 were similar to those seen in 2020, maintaining the decrease in trips and stages seen during the pandemic compared to previous years. Whilst overall levels of walking have fallen in recent years, people are choosing to walk further, with walking trips of over a mile remaining higher than pre-pandemic years.

Average walking stages remained at a similar level between 2020 and 2021. Compared to 2019, average walking stages in 2021 decreased by 16% to 279 stages per person per year. This is the lowest level in the series (Chart 1).

In 2021, average walking trips remained at a similar level to 2020 at 235 trips per person (from 236 trips per person in 2020) (Chart 1).

In 2020, average miles walked per person had increased to the highest levels since the start of the series. In 2021, average miles per person has decreased by 4% since 2020, to 210 miles, returning to the similar levels seen in 2018 (Chart 1).

Chart 1: Walking stages, trips and miles per person per year, 2002 to 2021 (NTS0303)

The proportion of walking trips in relation to other transport modes remained at a similar level between 2020 and 2021. People made 31% of all their trips by walking in 2021 compared to 32% in 2020.

Average walking trips of over a mile in 2021 decreased by 6% compared to 2020, from 87 trips per person to 82 trips per person but remained higher than all years prior to 2020. Similar trends are also seen for walking stages over a mile.

In 2021, most walking was done for leisure purposes, with around 65% of walking stages done for leisure. This is a similar trend to that seen in 2020.

Cycling

In 2021, the number of cycling trips, stages and miles cycled decreased back towards pre-pandemic levels, following a peak during 2020. The largest proportion of trips continues to be for leisure purposes, continuing the change in trend for journey purpose seen since the start of the pandemic.

In 2021, average cycling stages decreased by 27% (to 15 stages per person) from the peak in 2020. Cycling stages remain below trends seen in recent pre-pandemic years, with levels similar those seen in 2016 (Chart 2).

In 2021, average cycling trips decreased by 27%, from 20 trips per person in 2020, to 15 trips per person in 2021. This brings average cycling trips back in line with pre-pandemic levels, with a small decrease compared to 2019 (16 trips per person) (Chart 2).

Following the peak in average miles cycled per person in 2020, average miles cycled per person decreased by 37% from 2020 (88 miles per person) to 2021 (55 miles per person). This brings trends back to pre-pandemic levels (Chart 2).

Cycling as a proportion of trips by all transport modes saw a small decrease from 3% in 2020 to 2% in 2021.

Chart 2: Cycling stages, trips and miles per person per year, 2002 to 2021 (NTS0303)

In 2021, the largest proportion of cycling trips and stages were for leisure purposes, continuing the change in trend for journey purpose seen since the start of the pandemic, with around 55% of cycling stages done for leisure (including shopping). The proportion of leisure (including shopping) stages is lower than in 2020 (65% of cycling stages were for leisure in 2020) but is higher than in all years prior to 2020.

NTS definitions

A walking stage is where someone walks as part of an overall trip, for example, walking then taking the bus to work would be classified as a walking stage (and a stage by bus).

If the walking stage constitutes the longest stage in the trip by distance, it is also classed as a walking trip.

Walks under 50 yards and off the public highway are excluded. Walks over 50 yards but under 1 mile (“short walks”) were recorded on day 1 of the travel diary and are not recorded thereafter. Further information on short walks can be found in the background quality report.

In 2021, people walked an estimated total of 15.8 billion stages in England.

The average person in England in 2021:

  • made 235 walking trips and 279 walking stages
  • walked 210 miles
  • spent about 85 minutes a week travelling by walking
  • made 31% of all their trips by walking
  • had an average trip length of 0.8 miles
  • covered 5% of their distance travelling by walking

Both walking trips and stages per person remained at a similar level in 2021 compared to 2020 but have decreased compared to 2019. From 2020 to 2021 walking trips decreased by less than 1% from 236 trips per person to 235 trips per person, compared to a 6% decrease from 2019 when 250 trips per person were observed. This represents a 11% decrease in walking trips compared to 2002 (264 trips per person), the year when the NTS in its current form began. Likewise, walking stages per person remained similar between 2020 (281 stages per person) and 2021 (279 stages per person), compared to a 16% decreased from 2019 (332 stages per person) to 2021.

Walking trips over 1 mile decreased 6% between 2020 and 2021, from a record level 87 trips per person to 82 trips per person in 2021. While levels have decreased compared to 2020, this is an increase of 26% compared to 2019 (65 trips per person) and remains higher than all years prior to 2020. This aligns with the 3% increase in miles walked from 2019 to 2021 (NTS0303). A similar trend occurred with walking stages over 1 mile. Walking stages over 1 mile decreased by 4% from 92 stages per person in 2020 to 88 stages in 2021, but nevertheless were 21% higher than in 2019 (73 stages per person) and the second highest level in the series.

Utility - travel includes travelling for commuting and business, education and escorting as well as personal business.

Leisure - travel includes shopping and other leisure (visiting family and friends, sport, day trips and just walking).

In 2021, most walking was done for leisure purposes, with around 65% of walking stages conducted for leisure, a similar proportion to that seen in 2020. Walking stages for leisure (including shopping) decreased by 4% compared to 2020, from 188 stages per person to 181 stages per person.

Walking for utility increased by 7% from 92 stages per person in 2020 to 99 stages per person in 2021. Despite this, levels are lower than in previous years, with a 38% decrease compared to 2019 (160 stages per person). The increase in utility trips between 2020 and 2021, can be attributed to the increase in trips for education and escorting (increasing 15% between 2020 and 2021). It is worth noting that schools were closed for periods during 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which could partially explain this increase(Chart 3).

Chart 3: Average walking stages per person per year, by purpose, England 2005 to 2021 (CW0402)

Walking stages are one of the main measures used to monitor the department’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). The second cycling and walking strategy, published in 2022, included an update to the walking target to 365 stages per person per year by 2025. Table CW0402 shows that the average person would have had to walk 86 more stages in 2021 for this target to have been met.

Demographic differences in walking

The number of walking trips and the reasons for walking differ between men and women, and people of different ages.

In 2021, women on average made 20% more walking trips than men (256 trips compared to 213 trips by men), continuing the trend seen in previous years. Women aged 40 to 49 made the highest number of walking trips across all groups (320 trips), continuing the trend seen in 2020. The number of walking trips made by women aged 17 to 20 has decreased 33% from 2020 to 2021, a decrease of almost 60% compared to 2002. Meanwhile, walking trips made by women aged 70 and over increased by 12% from 206 trips in 2020 to 231 trips in 2021, the highest in the series.

Like women, the 17 to 20 age group made the least number of trips for men. However, this is the only age group where men make more walking trips than women. In 2021, the number of walking trips made by men aged 40 to 49 increased by 40% compared to 2020 from 208 trips per person to 292 trips per person. Amongst men, this is also the age group which made the most walking trips overall in 2021 (Chart 4).

Chart 4: Walking trips per person per year, by age and gender, England, 2021 (NTS0601)

Factors influencing walking rates

People without access to a car are more reliant on walking as a mode of transport

People in households without access to a car made 55% of all their trips and 13% of their distance travelled by foot, the same levels as 2020. This compares to 27% of trips and 4% of distance travelled for those in households with access to a car (NTS0702).

The number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured increased compared to 2020 but remains lower than the 2017 to 2019 average

In Great Britain, the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured has generally been falling since 2012, but is estimated to have increased by 14% in 2021 (5,356 pedestrians killed or seriously injured in 2021) compared to 2020. However, this is a decrease of 35% from 2012 (8268 pedestrians killed or seriously injured) and a decrease of 23% from 2019 (6,980 pedestrians killed or seriously injured), compared to 2021. Pedestrians provisionally saw an increase of 5% in fatalities in 2021 (364) compared with 2020 (346) but this is still a 22% decrease compared with the 2017 to 2019 average (465) (Chart 5).

Chart 5: Pedestrians killed or seriously injured (adjusted), in reported road accidents, Great Britain, 2012 to 2021 (RAS9101)

Serious and slight road accident figures have been adjusted to account for a change in severity reporting systems in a large number of forces who record road accidents. We recommend using the adjusted figures for understanding trends over time. For more information see reported road casualties Great Britain, main results 2020.

Please note that 2021 figures are currently provisional, final figures will be published in reported road casualties Great Britain, final results 2021 in September 2022.

Local area walking rates (Active Lives Survey)

The proportion of adults walking at least once a week in November 2020 to November 2021 has risen at both the national and regional level compared to November 2019 to November 2020. The proportion of adults walking at least once a week increased in England from 67% in November 2019 to November 2020 to 70% in November 2020 to November 2021. This increase was largely caused by increases in walking for leisure offsetting a small decrease in walking for travel compared to the previous year (Map 1).

Map 1: Proportion of adults walking at least once a week by Local Authority, England, 2020 to 2021 (CW0303)

Walking for travel once a week fell slightly from 30% in November 2019 to November 2020, to 28% in November 2020 to November 2021. In comparison, walking for leisure once a week saw an increase from 55% to 60% over the same period (CW0303).

All regions experienced increases in the proportion of people walking at least once a week. The largest increase was seen in the West Midlands, increasing from 62% in November 2019 to November 2020 to 65% in November 2020 to November 2021.

At the local authority level, 70% of local authorities saw an increase in the proportion of adults walking at least once a week. The local authority with the highest prevalence of walking at least once a week was Isles of Scilly (85%), followed by East Hampshire (83%), Cambridge (81%) and Cheshire East (81%).

These local authority changes exclude those affected by boundary changes which mean there is not a comparator for the previous year.

Around 94% of local authorities in England, had at least 60% of their adult population walking at least once a week between November 2020 to November 2021 compared to 92% of local authorities between November 2019 to November 2020.

The Active Lives Survey has a standard sample size of at least 500 persons per local authority. For more information, see the notes and definitions document and background quality report. Whilst key trends broadly agree between the NTS and ALS, the sources can differ on the scale of the increase due to different methodologies, definitions, and data coverage and are not directly comparable.

NTS definitions:

  • a cycling trip in the NTS is a trip where cycling is the main mode of transport in terms of distance
  • a cycling stage is where someone cycles as part of an overall trip
  • distance figures include cycling stages made as part of any trip

The number of respondents using this mode is small, so results (particularly year-on-year variability) should be interpreted with caution.

In 2021, people cycled a total of 0.9 billion stages.

The average person in England in 2021:

  • made 15 cycling trips and 15 cycling stages
  • cycled 55 miles
  • spent about 7 minutes a week travelling by cycle
  • made 2% of all their trips by cycling
  • had an average trip length of 3.6 miles
  • covered 1% of their distance travelling by cycling

The number of trips (and stages) cycled has remained broadly stable since the current NTS series started in 2002, ranging from 14 to 18 trips per person between 2002 and 2019. In 2020, cycling trips increased to the highest in the series to 20 trips per person. In 2021, the number of cycle trips decreased by 27% to 15 trips per person compared to 2020, and 7% compared to 2019, falling in line with the trend from 2002 to 2019. Average stages cycled followed a similar trend in 2021, with a 27% decrease compared to 2020 and a 10% decrease compared to 2019. The decrease in cycling between 2020 and 2021 contrasts with an increase in trips for both cars and public transport during the same period following large falls during the pandemic.

There has been a general upward trend in miles cycled from 2002 (39 miles per person) to 2019 (54 miles per person). However, in 2020 miles cycled rapidly increased, reaching the highest in the series at 88 miles per person. Compared to 2020, miles cycled in 2021 decreased 37% to 55 miles per person. However, this is an increase of 2% on 2019 levels, aligned with the general upward trend before the 2020 increase (NTS0303).

Chart 6 shows that due to the relatively small number of cyclists in the sample, the series can be volatile, but total cycle stages have broadly remained between 0.8 and 1 billion stages in the last 10 years. In 2021, total cycle stages decreased by 27% to 875 million stages compared to 2020 (1,196 stages) and by 9% compared to 2019 (964 stages).

This represents a 6% increase compared to the 2013 Cycling and walking investment strategy baseline (824 million stages), but further increase is required to meet the target to double cycling to 1.6 billion stages by 2025.

Chart 6: Total stages cycled per year in millions, England, 2010 to 2021 (CW0403)

Cycling stages for both utility (for example, to a place of work or education) and leisure (including shopping) decreased between 2020 and 2021. Cycling for leisure decreased more sharply, falling by 37% from 2020 to 2021, compared to cycle stages for utility, which decreased 8% in the same period. While cycling stages for leisure decreased between 2020 and 2021 (from 14 stages in 2020 to 9 stages in 2021), this is a 10% increase from 2019 and levels of cycling for leisure remain higher than those seen for utility purposes, continuing the change in trend for journey purpose seen since the start of the pandemic (Chart 7).

Chart 7: Average cycling stages per person per year, by purpose, England 2005 to 2021 (CW0404)

Demographic differences in cycling

Men cycle more often and further than women in all age brackets.

In 2021, men made more than triple the amount of cycle trips than women (24 trips per person compared to 7 trips per person) and cycled on average more than four times the distance (89 miles per person compared to 22 miles per person). This is a decrease in cycling trips of 15% for men and 50% for women compared to 2020, with both returning to similar levels to 2019. This is also a decrease in miles cycled per person compared to 2020 of 30% for men and 56% for women. Men aged 50 to 59 cycled the most (40 trips per person), which is a change from 2020 where men aged 17 to 20 cycled the most. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of cycling trips made by women decreased across all ages apart from 17 to 20 and 70 and over.

The number of cycling trips by men also decreased for most age groups between 2020 and 2021, except for those aged 30 to 39 and 50 to 59. Amongst women, those aged 40 to 49 cycled the most (12 trips per person), although still well below levels seen by men in all age groups. The largest difference was in the 0 to 16 age group, with males making more than 8 times as many cycling trips as females (Chart 8).

Chart 8: Cycling trips per person per year, by age and sex, England, 2021 (NTS0601)

Factors influencing cycling rates

Nearly half of people in England have access to a cycle (NTS0608).

In England, 47% of people aged 5 and over owned or had access to a cycle in 2021, the same level as 2020. The 21 to 29 age group saw the largest increase in ownership or access to a cycle from 32% in 2020 to 39% in 2021. The age group with the largest decrease in ownership or access to a cycle was 17 to 20 year olds, falling from 53% in 2020 to 45% in 2021.

Cycle ownership remains most prevalent amongst people under 17 years old. As with the previous year, people aged 40 to 49 also indicated high cycle ownership at 53% closely followed by those aged 50 to 59 at 49%, in line with the modal age for cycling activity in England.

Pedal cycle casualties were similar to levels seen in 2020

In Great Britain, the reported number of pedal cyclists killed or seriously injured remained similar to levels seen in 2020 but have decreased by 6% since 2012, from 4,763 to 4,462 in 2021. Pedal cyclists had a reduction in fatalities in 2021 compared with 2020 (20%). Despite this reduction, the number of pedal cyclist fatalities in 2021 was still higher than the 2017 to 2019 average (13%) (Chart 9).

For more detailed analysis on pedal cyclist casualties in 2021, please see Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results: 2021.

Chart 9: Pedal cyclists killed or seriously injured (adjusted), Great Britain, 2012 to 2021 (RAS9101)

Please note that 2021 figures are currently provisional, final figures will be published in reported road casualties Great Britain in September 2022.

Local area cycling rates (Active Lives Survey)

The proportion of adults cycling at least once a week in England, decreased from 12% in November 2019 to November 2020 to 9% in November 2020 to November 2021, largely driven by a fall in cycling for leisure (Map 2).

Map 2: Proportion of adults cycling at least once a week by Local Authority, England, 2020 to 2021 (CW0302)

At the regional level, cycling rates decreased from the previous year with the North East and the North West experiencing the largest decreases (CW0305).

Around 80% of local authorities saw a decrease in the proportion of adults cycling at least once a week compared to the November 2019 to November 2020 period. It should be noted that changes compared to the previous year will be impacted by high levels of cycling seen during 2020 following impacts of COVID-19, but around 60% of local authorities also saw a decrease compared to November 2018 to November 2019. The local authority with by far the highest prevalence for cycling at least once a week was Cambridge (42%), followed by Oxford (33%), although similar to national trends these have also fallen since November 2018 to November 2019. Burnley had the lowest prevalence of cycling at least once a week at 3%.

Nearly all (97%) of local authorities had less than 20% of their adult population cycling at least once a week in England between November 2020 and November 2021, similar to levels seen the previous year.

Cycling at least once a week for both travel and for leisure decreased at a national and regional level from the previous year. Decreases were largely driven by decreases in cycling for leisure which decreased from 9% in November 2019 to November 2020 to 6% in November 2020 to November 2021, following high levels recorded during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Active Lives Survey has a standard sample size of at least 500 persons per local authority. For more information, see the notes and definitions document and background quality report. Whilst key trends broadly agree between the NTS and ALS, the sources can differ on the scale of the increase due to different methodologies, definitions, and data coverage and are not directly comparable.

Walking and cycling to school

Data on travel to school is impacted by changes in travel behaviour due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as school closures during this period. Data for 2020 and 2021, as well as changes from previous years should be interpreted accordingly. More details about the coronavirus restrictions can be found in the timeline of UK government coronavirus lockdowns.

In 2021, 46% of children aged 5 to 16 walked or cycled to school, a decrease from 50% in 2020. In general, this trend has fluctuated over time due to the volatility in the walking to school trend, and the decrease brings levels back to the proportion seen in previous years.

There were decreases in walking as the usual means of travel to school amongst both primary school children (aged 5 to 10) and secondary school children (aged 11 to 16). Levels decreased amongst primary school children from 52% in 2020 to 49% in 2021, and secondary school children from 42% in 2020 to 37% in 2021. Proportions in 2020 and 2021 will be influenced by school closures and the reduction in public transport and private car use during the pandemic.

Only 3% of all children usually cycled to school. This proportion has remained between 2% and 4% since 2002. The proportion of primary school aged children cycling to school increased from 1% in 2020, to 2% in 2021 whilst the proportion for secondary school aged children decreased from 5% to 4% in line with levels seen prior to the pandemic (NTS0615).

The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy includes a target to increase the percentage of children that usually walk to school to 55% in 2025.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact

These statistics cover walking and cycling during 2021, during which some restrictions were still in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This will have impacted travel patterns across the country, with effects differing by area depending on the level of local restrictions in place.

Caution is needed when interpreting results for 2021 using NTS data as they are based on a smaller sample size. This means that the standard errors are likely to be larger and therefore less representative of residents of England, compared to previous years.

Background information

Further information about these statistics is available, including:

National Statistics

The NTS was assessed by the UK Statistics Authority against the Code of Practice for Statistics and was confirmed as National Statistics in July 2011.

The results from the ALS are not National Statistics, but adhere to the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics.

Which dataset should I use?

The NTS remains our primary data source when looking at walking and cycling in England. It allows us to look at walking and cycling in isolation, but also compare to other modes of travel and look at long term trends. It is also the data source used to monitor against the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and Gear Change aims and targets.

Due to changes in the methodology of data collection, changes in travel behaviour and a reduction of data collected during 2020 and 2021, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, care should be taken when interpreting this data and comparing to other years, due to the small sample sizes. Further information can be found in the National Travel Survey quality report.

Other data sources help provide further context to walking and cycling behaviour, as well as consider individual groups in more detail, such as those cycling on roads. The ALS has a much larger sample size than the NTS, so allows us to look at estimates of walking and cycling at the local authority level.

Data sources used in this publication:

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Contact details:

Walking and cycling statistics

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