Society: Our healthy environment supports a fairer, healthier, more inclusive society
Last updated: 25 June 2025
This outcome is about the transformative changes to our society needed to play Scotland’s role in tackling the climate and nature crises. It is also about the fundamental role of a healthy environment in supporting the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people; and the positive social outcomes created through the just transition to a net -zero, sustainable society, including the creation of quality jobs and promotion of fairness and environmental justice.
Here we report three indicators that help us to monitor progress towards this outcome: outdoor visits, access to green and blue space, and active travel. The indicators highlight the challenges in enabling everyone to access Scotland’s natural environment and the benefits it provides.
In Scotland, an increasing number of people are visiting the outdoors for recreation and deriving benefits from outdoor exercise. However, there are known environmental inequalities. For example, population groups with poorer access to green and blue spaces derive fewer of the health and wellbeing benefits from spending time in nature. There is less greenspace in deprived urban areas and people from deprived areas are less likely to visit the outdoors. Evidence suggests that the biodiversity of green and blue space may also be lower in less affluent areas, due to a combination of design and maintenance.
As the Monitoring Framework is further developed, we will explore the scope for additional indicators to measure progress towards this outcome, reflecting: the ways in which a healthy environment and access to nature supports positive social outcomes e.g. for fairness, health, wellbeing and education. We will also explore additional indicators reflecting Scotland’s progress in improving the sustainability of our society, including the environmental impact of our lifestyles.
Visits to the outdoors
Indicator Updated: 25 June 2025
Headline: There has been a long term increase in weekly visits to the outdoors.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Data for this chart can be downloaded from the data source page.
The percentage of adults visiting the outdoors at least weekly increased from 42% in 2012 to 70% in 2022, with a noticeable difference before and after COVID (56% in 2019 jumping to 70% in 2022). There was a slight decrease in this figure between 2022 and 2023 (from 70% to 68%), but visits to the outdoors in 2023 are still markedly higher than pre-COVID-19.
Access to green & blue space
Indicator Updated: 25 June 2025
Headline: There has been little change in access to green and blue space since 2013.
Source: Scottish Household Survey
Data for this chart can be downloaded from the data source page.
The percentage of respondents who reported living within a 5-minute walk of their nearest green or blue space was broadly the same between 2022 and 2023 (from 70% to 68%).There was no long-term difference between 2013 and 2023.
It is worth noting that the survey question is framed in terms of how long the respondent thinks it would take the interviewer (not interviewee) to walk to the nearest green or blue space to avoid variation due to differences in the ability to walk of interviewees.
Data for 2020 and 2021 are excluded because results for those years are not comparable to other years due to a change in survey method, as a consequence of COVID restrictions.
Active travel
Indicator Updated: 25 June 2025
Headline: The proportion of short journeys made on foot and by bike has been stable since 2012.
Source: Transport and Travel in Scotland 2023
Data for this chart can be downloaded from the data source page.
This National Statistics indicator uses data from the annual Scottish Household Survey and reports the proportion of short journeys less than 2 miles that are made by walking and the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by cycling. Find out more about the active travel indicator. Since 2012, there has been little long-term change in both the proportion of journeys under 2 miles made on foot and the proportion of journeys under 5 miles made by bike. Short term, there has been a slight increase in the proportion of short journeys made by active travel between 2022 and 2023.
Due to changes in methodology during the COVID-19 pandemic, results from 2020 and 2021 are not comparable with other years.