Physical activity is important for mental and physical health, yet almost half of EU residents report that they do no exercise or sport at all.
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We all know that regular physical activity, whether it be exercise or sports, is essential for improving our mental and physical health. Among its benefits, it supports cognitive function and wellbeing.
However, the prevalence of physical inactivity remains high in Europe: almost half (45%) of EU residents report that they do no exercise or sport at all.
Increasing physical activity could prevent thousands of premature deaths in the EU and save billions of euros per year in health care costs, according to a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
But which European countries are the most and least physically active? What are the main reasons why people do not exercise more regularly? How do age, gender and education affect exercise and sport participation? What is the economic burden of insufficient physical activity? And how is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting people’s exercise habits?
The comprehensive Eurobarometer survey on sports participation and physical activity in EU Member States and the joint WHO-OECD report entitled “Step up! Tackling the burden of physical inactivity in Europe” answer all these questions.
According to WHO data, more than one in three adults (35.4%) in the 27 EU countries were physically inactive in 2016, ranging from 19% in Finland to 46% in Portugal.
Physical inactivity is particularly prevalent in southern European countries and less so in northern European countries, with Russia having the lowest rate at 18 percent.
The Eurobarometer survey, conducted in April-May 2022, provides very up-to-date data on sport and physical activity in the EU.
When EU residents were asked how often they take part in exercise or sport, almost half (45%) said they never exercise or sport, while almost one in five (17%) said they rarely exercise or sport.
About a third of respondents (32%) did so somewhat regularly, but only 6% did so regularly.
Exercise refers to any form of physical activity carried out in a sporting context or in a sport-related environment, such as swimming, training at a sports centre or sports club, or running in the park.
Portugal has the highest proportion of people who do not exercise or sport “at all” at 75 percent.
Among the Nordic countries, Finland has the lowest rate at just 8%, followed by Sweden (12%) and Denmark (20%). In Germany the rate is 32% and in France it is 45%.
Women, older people, less educated people, poor people? Lack of exercise
The study found that gender, age, education and economic status are associated with exercise in the EU.
Women, older people and people from lower socio-economic classes are less likely to take part in regular sport and physical activity.
Men are more likely than women to exercise or play sports on a somewhat regular basis: 40 percent of men say they “never exercise or play sports” compared to 49 percent of women.
Those aged 15-24 are most likely to be physically active or participate in sport regularly (54%), with this proportion decreasing with age, from 42% of 25-39 year olds to 32% of 40-54 year olds and 21% of those 55 and over.
Among those who continued their education beyond the age of 20, 31% reported not exercising at all, compared with 74% of those who dropped out of school before the age of 15.
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Motivations for Exercise and Sport Participation
More than half of Europeans (54%) say they take part in sport or physical activity more to improve their health than for other reasons.
About four in ten people engage in sports or other physical activity to improve their fitness (43%) or relax (39%).
At least a quarter of respondents said their motivation was for fun (27%), to improve their physical fitness (27%) or to control their weight (25%).
Why don’t Europeans exercise more?
Lack of time is the biggest factor preventing people across the EU from taking part in sport more regularly.
Forty-one per cent said they did not regularly take part in sport due to a lack of time, while a quarter (25%) said they were unmotivated or uninterested.
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How has COVID-19 affected your sports participation and frequency of exercise?
One-third (34%) of respondents said they have continued to be physically active, such as participating in sports, during the COVID-19 outbreak, but more frequently.
Nearly one in five (18%) have stopped being physically active during the pandemic.
One-third (34%) of participants said they were engaging in the same level of physical activity during the COVID-19 outbreak as before.
Economic burden of lack of exercise
The OECD estimates that increased physical activity could save €7.7 billion per year in health costs in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms if everyone did at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
The majority of the burden occurs in countries with large populations and high levels of health expenditure, such as Germany (EUR 2.1 billion), Italy (EUR 1.3 billion) and France (EUR 1.1 billion).
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According to a WHO/OECD report, if everyone achieved the WHO recommended level of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, the following results would occur:
• Prevent more than 10,000 premature deaths per year (among people aged 30-70 years).
• Increase life expectancy by 7.5 months for people who are currently insufficiently active, and by nearly 2 months for the entire population.
