10 key facts on physical activity in the WHO European Region
Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for health and is estimated to attribute to one million deaths (about 10 % of the total), per year in the WHO European Region.
Physical inactivity accounts for 8.3 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs - about 5% of the total) in the Region.
More than half of the Region's population is not active enough to meet health recommendations.
Recent figures from member states of the European Union (EU) indicate that 6 in every 10 people above 15 years of age never or seldom exercise or play a sport and more than half never or seldom engage in other kinds of physical activity, such as cycling, dancing or gardening.
The trend in the Region is towards less activity, not more.
On third of European young people aged 11, 13 and 15 years reported enough physical activity to meet current guidelines. In most countries, boys were more active than girls and activity declined with age in both sexes.
Inequalities between countries are rising, with those in the eastern part of the Region bearing the heaviest burden.
Different socioeconomic groups also show inequalities: poorer people have less free time and poorer access to leisure facilities, or live in environments that do not support physical activity.
Emerging estimates of the direct (health care) and indirect costs of physical inactivity (loss of economic output due to illness, disease-related work disabilities or premature death) are alarming.
For a population of 10 million people, where half the population is insufficiently active, the overall cost is estimated to be €910 million per year.
