Cycling participation is measured in several different ways: riding at least once, weekly activity, trips, journey stages, miles, access to a bicycle and commuting. The figures below keep those definitions, populations and measurement periods separate so that participation scale and frequency are not confused.
Key Cycling Participation Statistics
The most useful headline figures span participation, frequency, purpose and access:
- In 2024, 112 million Americans ages 3 and older rode a bicycle at least once in the United States.
- In 2024, 35% of Americans ages 3 and older rode a bicycle at least once.
- In 2024, 53% of U.S. bicycle riders said they worried about being hit by a car.
- Between the prior study and 2024, U.S. youth participation ages 3–17 rose from 49% to 56%.
- In 2023, people in England made 15 cycling trips per person.
- In England, average cycling trips stayed between 14 and 20 trips per person per year from 2002 through 2023.
- In 2023, people in England cycled 47 miles per person.
- In 2023, cycling accounted for 2% of trips in England.
- In 2023, 10% of adults in England cycled at least once per week for any purpose.
- In 2023, leisure represented 40% of cycling trips in England.
- In 2023, commuting represented 29% of cycling trips in England.
- In 2024, 76% of people ages 5–10 in England owned or had access to a pedal cycle.
- In 2023, Cambridge had a 47.8% weekly cycling rate for any purpose among the listed English local authorities.
- In 2023, London had a 9.3% weekly travel-cycling rate among adults.
- Almost 24% of EU residents cycled at least once per week in the 2026 European baseline.
- The EU Cycling Counts study identified more than 900,000 kilometres of cycling paths and lanes.
Contents
- Cycling participation statistics in the United States
- Cycling participation trends by age and rider group
- England cycling participation, trips and distance trends
- Cycling participation by purpose
- Cycling access and participation by age and sex
- Local and regional cycling participation statistics
- International cycling participation and commuting scale
Cycling Participation Statistics in the United States
PeopleForBikes estimated that 112 million Americans ages 3 and older rode a bicycle at least once in 2024, equal to 35% of that population. This is a survey-based participation estimate, and riding at least once is broader than frequent participation.
The 2024 study surveyed 16,000 adults nationwide. Its rider-perception measures add context to participation: 53% of U.S. riders said they were worried about being hit by a car, while 50% said they were familiar with bike lanes, paths and trails in their area.
PeopleForBikes, “More Americans Rode a Bike Than Ever Before in 2024” reports these survey findings. The safety figure measures perception, not measured collision risk, and familiarity is self-reported.
Cycling Participation Trends by Age and Rider Group
The PeopleForBikes comparison shows stronger recent movement among younger riders. Youth participation ages 3–17 increased from 49% in the prior study to 56% in 2024, a 7-percentage-point rise.
- Participation among children ages 3–9 increased 9% in 2024 compared with the prior study.
- Participation among youth ages 10–17 increased 15% compared with the prior study.
The 9% and 15% figures are relative changes reported for the two age groups; the corresponding baseline percentages are not stated. The comparison uses the prior PeopleForBikes study wave, so it should not be read as a continuous annual series.
England’s National Travel Survey provides a different view of frequency. People made 15 cycling trips per person in 2023, compared with 16 in 2019 and 14 in 2002; across 2002–2023, the annual average remained between 14 and 20 trips per person.
England Cycling Participation, Trips and Distance Trends
England’s 2023 National Travel Survey estimated 47 cycling miles per person, with cycling representing 2% of trips and 1% of travel distance. The Department for Transport also estimated 0.9 billion cycling stages, or 16 stages per person; stages are journey segments and differ from trips.
| England measure | 2023 result | Comparison or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Cycling trips per person | 15 | 16 in 2019; 14 in 2002 |
| Cycling miles per person | 47 | 17% below 2022; 13% below 2019; 22% above 2002 |
| Cycling share of trips | 2% | Share of trips recorded in the NTS |
| Cycling share of distance | 1% | Distance share, not trip share |
| Cycling stages | 0.9 billion | 16 stages per person |
The average English resident spent about 6 minutes per week travelling by cycle in 2023, and the average cycling trip was 3 miles. A separate traffic-statistics series estimated 3.6 billion vehicle miles travelled by cycling in 2023, down 7% from 2022; that series uses methods distinct from the household survey.
The NTS uses household interviews and seven-day travel diaries. The Department for Transport cautions that relatively small numbers of cycling trips can make annual estimates volatile, so year-to-year changes should be interpreted carefully.
Department for Transport, “NTS 2023: Active travel” provides the trips, miles, stages, purpose and sex figures.
Cycling Participation by Purpose: Leisure, Travel and Commuting
Purpose changes the meaning of a participation statistic. In England’s 2023 NTS, leisure accounted for 40% of cycling trips, commuting for 29%, education or escort-education for 13% and shopping for 9%.
- Leisure represented 55% of cycling trips in 2020, compared with 34% in 2019.
- Commuting represented 33% of cycling trips in 2019.
- In 2023, 10% of adults in England reported cycling at least once per week for any purpose.
- In 2023, 7% of adults reported weekly leisure cycling and 5% reported weekly cycling for travel.
These are not interchangeable measures: NTS trip-purpose shares describe the composition of cycling trips, while the Active Lives Survey percentages describe adults reporting at least weekly activity. Weekly leisure cycling rose from 5.4% to 6.7% between 2022 and 2023, while weekly travel cycling fell from 6% in 2019 to 5% in 2023.
Department for Transport, “Walking and cycling statistics, England: Local area walking and cycling rates” reports the Active Lives Survey measures and local rates.
Cycling Access and Participation Differences by Age and Sex
Access to a pedal cycle is an opportunity measure, not a riding-frequency measure. In England in 2024, access or ownership was highest among children ages 5–10 at 76%, followed by 65% for ages 11–16.
| England age group | Owned or had access to a pedal cycle, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Ages 5–10 | 76% |
| Ages 11–16 | 65% |
| Ages 17–20 | 41% |
| Ages 21–29 | 30% |
| Ages 30–39 | 36% |
| Ages 40–49 | 45% |
| Ages 50–59 | 46% |
| Ages 60 and over | 25% |
The 2024 access measure was 41% among ages 17–20, 30% among ages 21–29, 36% among ages 30–39, 45% among ages 40–49, 46% among ages 50–59 and 25% among people ages 60 and over.
Sex differences also appear in England’s 2023 travel estimates. Males averaged 22 cycling trips and 72 cycling miles per person, compared with 9 trips and 23 miles for females.
National Travel Survey England 2024 Main Results provides the 2024 access figures. The age categories and access measure should not be treated as direct evidence of participation frequency.
Local and Regional Cycling Participation Statistics
National averages conceal substantial local variation. In the 2023 Active Lives Survey local-authority table, Cambridge had the highest listed weekly cycling rate for any purpose at 47.8%, followed by Oxford at 35.1%, Hackney at 29.0%, Hammersmith and Fulham at 28.1% and South Cambridgeshire at 27.5%.
| English local authority | Weekly cycling for any purpose, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Cambridge | 47.8% |
| Oxford | 35.1% |
| Hackney | 29.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 28.1% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 27.5% |
At regional level, the South West had the highest weekly leisure-cycling prevalence at 8.4%, while the West Midlands had the lowest at 5.0%. London had the highest weekly travel-cycling prevalence at 9.3%, compared with 3.2% in the West Midlands.
These local and regional figures are survey estimates, and smaller effective samples can make local results less stable than national estimates. The Active Lives Survey’s definitions and collection periods also differ from the NTS.
International Cycling Participation and Commuting Scale
A 2026 European Commission baseline estimated that almost 24% of EU residents cycled at least once per week. The same EU Cycling Counts study identified more than 900,000 kilometres of cycling paths and lanes, an infrastructure inventory that does not measure use directly.
The European Commission notes that national survey methods differ, so comparisons among EU countries require care. The EU percentage is therefore best treated as a broad baseline rather than a perfectly harmonized league table.
U.S. commuting statistics capture a narrower slice of participation. The Census Bureau reported that the number of U.S. workers travelling to work by bicycle rose from about 488,000 in 2000 to about 786,000 in 2008–2012; these ACS period estimates describe commuting, not recreational or occasional riding.
A League of American Bicyclists benchmarking summary reported that bicycle commuting decreased in 25 U.S. states between 2010 and 2020. That is a state-level commuting comparison, not a measure of total cycling participation.
European Commission, “New Cycling Counts study provides first EU-wide baseline for cycling infrastructure and data collection” provides the EU baseline and infrastructure inventory.
U.S. Census Bureau, “Modes Less Traveled—Bicycling and Walking to Work in the United States: 2008–2012” provides the historical bicycle-commuting counts.
League of American Bicyclists, “State Data – Benchmarking Report” provides the 2010–2020 state commuting comparison.