Growth without health is like building a house without the foundations
Sport and physical activity drive growth though health and must be at the heart of the economic mission – because movement gets the economy moving.
The Government is rightly prioritising economic growth but there is something missing from the debate: the role that sport, physical activity and health must play in getting our economy moving.
Consider the extraordinary effort that goes into building a house. The bricks, the mortar, constructing a roof, putting in wiring, plumbing, windows and central heating; the list goes on.
Growth without health is like building a house without the proper foundations – eventually, the house will sink. That’s potentially a great deal of wasted work.
Active people drive economic growth
A cornerstone of good health is leading an active lifestyle, with exercise described as a “miracle cure” by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
And miracle cure it is. Every single year, active lifestyles prevent 1.3m cases of depression, 900,000 cases of back pain. 600,000 cases of Type 2 diabetes, 150,000 cases of coronary heart disease and 100,000 strokes.1
The prevention of chronic illness, combined with reduced GP visits and reduced usage of mental health services, represents an annual saving to the NHS and wider health and social care system of £10.5bn.2
A healthier and more active society is a more productive workforce too; the cost of sickness absence and lost productivity due to ill-health is £150 billion – approximately 7 per cent of GDP.3 Active adults take over a quarter fewer sick days (27 per cent) than inactive adults.4
We build wealth through health. Every active person represents money saved. And it doesn’t only have to be organised highly competitive sport to do it – a weekly kickabout, daily stroll, regular swim or gym session or cycling to school or work counts just as much.
It is not just good for us – it's an act of economic contribution.
Pivot to prevention must begin in childhood
When Lord Darzi published his seminal report on the state of the NHS last year, he was clear that the “pivot to prevention” must be prioritised and that the cross-society goal of healthy life expectancy should be at the heart of this. Building a healthy life expectancy begins in childhood; the early years are the best time to create healthy habits for life, with active children far more likely to turn into active adults.
But over half of children do not meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for physical activity,5 childhood obesity levels are high and children’s mental health is in crisis. There have been shocking recent reports from teachers of children arriving at school with underdeveloped muscles and unable to climb stairs,6 an issue associated with excessive screen time and not enough physical activity.
This is deeply troubling, but points to the necessity of embedding good activity habits from a young age. Children are the future – and any growth ambitions can only be sustained if future generations and workforces are healthy. Society gains more from an active child than an active adult too; active children generate an annual wellbeing (WELLBY) value of £4,100 compared to £2,500 for an adult.7
Growth through health
There are three ways to drive growth through healthy, active lifestyles.
The first is to put sport and physical activity at the heart of a prevention-first NHS, training every health professional to be able to recommend sport and activity to their patients, alongside transforming leisure centres into modern day health and active wellbeing hubs and ringfencing leisure budgets. The commitment to Neighbourhood Health Centres would support this shift to prevention-first.
The second is to ensure movement is at the heart of every school day with more opportunities for children to be active, and prioritising PE as a core curriculum subject. Sport England has submitted evidence to the Curriculum Review, as being active plays a critical role in developing happier, healthier, more resilient children and young people who are ready to learn and engage.
The third and final way is to design the places we live to encourage physical activity in everyday lives, building opportunities for movement into the design of schools, homes, high streets & infrastructure. Active Design principles should be front and centre of the government’s homebuilding drive. Poorly planned development exacerbates poor health outcomes and denies communities places and spaces to be active, which ultimately undermines growth.
Britain needs to get building, but sport and activity provision remains the foundation that our economy will flourish on.
- The social value of sport and physical activity in England: an updated model – Secondary Value Year 1 report, Sport England & partners, November 2024).
- The social value of sport and physical activity in England: an updated model – Secondary Value Year 1 report, Sport England & partners, November 2024
- Oxera, on behalf of The Times (2023). The economic cost of ill-health among the working-age population.
- Health, Work and Wellbeing Programme - Working for a healthier tomorrow 2008
- Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, 2023/24
- School Readiness survey, Kindred, 2025
- The social value of sport and physical activity in England: Primary Value report, Sport England and partners, November 2024.
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