(24 March 2014) – According to the results of the latest Eurobarometer survey on sport and physical activity, 59% of European Union citizens never or seldom exercise or play sport, while 41% do so at least once a week.
Northern Europe is more physically active than the South and East. 70% of respondents in Sweden said they exercise or play sport at least once a week, just ahead of Denmark (68%) and Finland (66%), followed by the Netherlands (58%) and Luxembourg (54%).
At the other end of the scale, 78% never do so in Bulgaria, followed by Malta (75%), Portugal (64%), Romania (60%) and Italy (60%).
The survey shows that local authorities in particular could do more to encourage citizens to be physically active. While 74% of respondents believe that local sport clubs and other providers provide sufficient opportunities for this, 39% think their local authorities are not doing enough.