1. Main facts and figures
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55.4% of adults aged 16 and over had 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day (‘5 a day’) in 2019/20
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white British adults were the most likely out of all ethnic groups to eat 5 a day, with 56.5% doing so
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the percentage of adults in the black, Asian, Chinese, and mixed ethnic groups who ate 5 a day was lower than the national average
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the percentage of white British adults and adults with any other white background eating ‘5 a day’ in 2019/20 was higher than the previous year
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for other ethnic groups, too few adults responded to the survey or the responses were too varied to make reliable generalisations about changes over time
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
This data shows the percentage of people aged 16 and older in England who ate 5 portions of fruit and vegetables on a usual day (‘5 a day’).
Figures have been rounded to 1 decimal point in the charts and tables.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Estimates are shown for 7 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- black
- Chinese
- mixed
- white British
- any other white background
- 'other'
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for the data on this page.
It is unlikely that everyone who completed the survey responded accurately. This may be because of factors such as people being unable to accurately recall what they ate.
Fruit and vegetable consumption is also measured by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey and the Health Survey for England. The Active Lives Survey overestimates the percentage of people eating 5 a day compared with findings from these other surveys.
The figures on this page are based on survey data. Find out more about interpreting survey data, including how reliability is affected by the number of people surveyed.
Data has been weighted to ONS population measures for geography and key demographics. Read more about how weighting is used to make survey data more representative of the group being studied.
In the data file
See Download the data for:
- unrounded estimates
- confidence intervals – read more about how we use confidence intervals to judge how reliable estimates are
3. By ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 56.8 | 57.4 | 54.8 | 54.4 | 55.4 |
| Asian | 47.5 | 48.9 | 47.0 | 45.8 | 47.2 |
| Black | 46.4 | 45.7 | 44.2 | 43.4 | 45.7 |
| Chinese | 57.2 | 51.1 | 50.3 | 50.0 | 52.1 |
| Mixed | 53.3 | 56.0 | 50.7 | 52.0 | 53.9 |
| White British | 57.9 | 58.4 | 55.9 | 55.6 | 56.5 |
| White other | 58.3 | 58.3 | 54.5 | 55.0 | 56.3 |
| Other | 59.7 | 57.1 | 54.7 | 56.2 | 57.9 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
4. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Note on corrections or updates
Edited frequency of publication
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Active Lives Survey measures the number of people aged 16 and over who take part in sport and physical activity.
This data informs the government’s strategy on physical activity, Sporting Future, which looks at 5 aspects of physical activity:
- physical well-being
- mental well-being
- individual development
- social and community development
- economic development
The Active Lives Adults survey has previously been published twice a year – in April, which covered the full year November to November period, and in October, which covered the mid-year May to May period. Following an external consultation in early 2022, results are now only being published annually each April. Read more information about publications: https://www.sportengland.org/research/active-lives-survey/
Secondary source
Public Health Outcomes Framework
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Public Health England
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Public Health Outcomes Framework examines indicators that help government, health researchers and practitioners, understand trends in public health.
5. Download the data
Measure, Ethnicity, Ethnicity_Type, Time, Time_Type, Geography, Geography_Type, Geography_Code, Gender, Age, Value, Value_Type, Denominator, Confidence Intervals