How much people cycled
People in England made an average of 15 cycling trips and 16 cycling stages per person in 2024. They cycled 53 miles per person, up from 47 miles in 2023 and close to 54 miles in 2019.
The Department for Transport warns that the relatively small number of cycling trips in the survey sample makes this series volatile. Cycling trip rates have stayed between 14 and 20 trips per person per year since 2002.
Why people cycled
Leisure accounted for 41% of cycling trips in 2024, followed by commuting at 31%, shopping at 10%, and education or escort education at 9%. These are proportions of cycling trips, not proportions of the population.
| Purpose | Share of cycling trips |
|---|---|
| Leisure | 41% |
| Commuting | 31% |
| Shopping | 10% |
| Education or escort education | 9% |
Cycle access by age
The NTS asks whether people own or have access to a pedal cycle. The figures below combine 2023 and 2024 and are rounded to whole percentages.
| Age | Own or have access to a pedal cycle |
|---|---|
| 5 to 10 | 76% |
| 11 to 16 | 65% |
| 17 to 20 | 41% |
| 21 to 29 | 30% |
| 30 to 39 | 36% |
| 40 to 49 | 45% |
| 50 to 59 | 46% |
| 60 and over | 25% |
Differences by sex
In 2024, males averaged 23 cycling trips and 87 cycling miles per person; females averaged 8 trips and 19 miles. The survey reports observed averages, not biological explanations. Route safety, trip purpose, caring responsibilities, access and social factors can all affect participation.
Why this is not a complete UK total
The National Travel Survey figures above cover residents of England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish related evidence through other surveys and administrative systems, so combining them without harmonised definitions would create false precision. The title uses “UK cycling statistics” as the subject area; each figure retains its actual England scope.
Definitions and live source material
Use the linked publisher pages for the complete dataset, current policy and any revisions made after this RideIn summary.
- Department for Transport: NTS 2024 active travel↗England household travel survey results used on this page.
- Department for Transport: NTS 2024 factsheet↗
- Department for Transport: walking and cycling statistics collection↗Links to further official series with different geographies and methods.