Almost 350,000 people play table tennis regularly, according to the latest Active Lives survey out this week.

The Sport England survey found that 349,600 people had taken part in the sport at least twice in the last 28 days when the survey was carried out, in the period November 2022 to November 2023.

This number is holding steady compared with last year’s Active Lives report (November 2021 – November 2022).

Among the other key findings in the survey across the whole population and range of activities were:

• Longstanding inequalities remain, with women still less likely to be active – 65.9% of men are active compared with 61.2% of women
• Where you live impacts on how likely you are to be active, with those living in more deprived places less likely to be active than those in places that are less deprived
• Activity levels for those aged 55+ are the highest they have been since records began, with those aged over 75 particularly driving this trend

Table Tennis England has developed initiatives which are delivering results in these areas, including:

• Our commitment to achieving gender parity in the sport, most recently running an activation and insight session in Manchester on International Women’s Day – see the video below

• Creation of our Area Manager Network to work closely with local clubs and communities most in need
• Renewing our partnership with charities and community organisations, including Sported, to work in deprived areas
• Helping clubs and community groups to provide Bat & Chat sessions which engage people aged 55 and over. Click here to find out more about the impact of Bat & Chat – or watch the video below