Which are the laziest countries on earth?

As the UK comes out the third most slothful country in Europe, we show who has the world's least physically active population
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A woman exercises on a treadmill in a gym
How active are you - and how do you compare? Photograph: Graham Turner/ Guardian

This may be an Olympic summer, but the majority of Britons are more likely to watch the athletes rather than try and emulate them.

Research published in the Lancet today shows that the UK, Sarah Boseley writes

has the third most slothful population in Europe, with two-thirds of adults failing to take enough physical exercise to keep themselves healthy, according to research. Only in Malta and Serbia do the over-15s exert themselves less than in the UK

The report shows that:

• In the UK, 63.3% of adults (with higher rates in women than in men) do not meet recommended amounts of activity, such as walking briskly for 30 minutes or more five times a week or taking more vigorous exercise for 20 minutes three times a week
• The US scores 41% and Canada 34%
• In Malta, 71.9% of adults are inactive and in Serbia the proportion is 68.3%
• The most active countries are Greece, where 16% are inactive, Estonia (17%) and the Netherlands (18%)

Inactivity causes between 6% and 10% of four major diseases – coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and breast and colon cancer, reported the Lancet. In 2008, it was responsible for about 5.3 million out of the 57 million deaths worldwide.

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Data summary

Inactive adults rate by country

Click heading to sort table. Download this data
Country
Region
Both sexes, %
Men, %
Women, %

SOURCE: LANCET
Inactivity defined as not meeting any of the following criteria: (a) 5 x 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week; (b) 3 x 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week; (c) an equivalent combination achieving 600 metabolic equivalent-min per week.
Algeria African Region 40.5 31.9 49.2
Benin African Region 9.1 7.1 11.2
Botswana African Region 35.2 26.3 44.1
Burkina Faso African Region 15.5 14.6 16.3
Cameroon African Region 40.7 33 48.3
Cape Verde African Region 20.7 12.1 29.4
Chad African Region 24.5 22.8 26.2
Comoros African Region 8.3 6.1 10.6
Congo African Region 48.6 44.4 52.9
Côte d'Ivoire African Region 32.8 28.8 36.9
Dem. Rep. of Congo African Region 45.2 38.4 52
Eritrea African Region 40.4 26 54.8
Ethiopia African Region 19.3 16.5 22.1
Gabon African Region 36.6 26.8 46.4
Gambia African Region 24.5 20.4 28.7
Ghana African Region 17.6 14.4 20.8
Guinea African Region 12.1 6.1 18.1
Kenya African Region 16.5 15.1 18
Madagascar African Region 23.3 18.3 28.3
Malawi African Region 10.2 7.3 13.2
Mali African Region 20.9 17.9 23.8
Mauritania African Region 43.8 40 47.6
Mauritius African Region 38.6 38.2 39.1
Mozambique African Region 7.1 6.7 7.4
Namibia African Region 58.5 51.9 65.1
Niger African Region 29.3 24.4 34.2
São Tomé and Principe African Region 19 11.6 26.3
Sierra Leone African Region 19.9 16.2 23.6
South Africa African Region 52.4 48.4 56.5
Swaziland African Region 69 65.9 72.1
Zambia African Region 17.2 15.1 19.3
Zimbabwe African Region 23.8 21.8 25.8
Iran Eastern Mediterranean Region 37 27.1 47
Iraq Eastern Mediterranean Region 58.4 62.8 54
Kuwait Eastern Mediterranean Region 64.5 56.9 72.1
Lebanon Eastern Mediterranean Region 46.8 51.9 41.7
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Eastern Mediterranean Region 45.8 37.3 54.4
Pakistan Eastern Mediterranean Region 40.4 32.7 48.1
Saudi Arabia Eastern Mediterranean Region 68.8 61.5 76.2
Tunisia Eastern Mediterranean Region 35.9 31.5 40.3
United Arab Emirates Eastern Mediterranean Region 62.5 56.1 68.9
Austria European Region 34.8 30.3 39.2
Belgium European Region 42.7 40.4 45
Bosnia and Herzegovina European Region 33.6 30.3 37
Bulgaria European Region 26.8 24.7 28.8
Croatia European Region 23.6 26.2 21
Cyprus European Region 55.4 48.1 62.6
Czech Republic European Region 25 27.6 22.3
Denmark European Region 35.1 34.8 35.4
Estonia European Region 17.2 15.7 18.8
Finland European Region 37.8 40.8 34.9
France European Region 32.5 27.7 37.2
Georgia European Region 22.3 21.1 23.5
Germany European Region 28 27.5 28.5
Greece European Region 15.6 16.7 14.5
Hungary European Region 26 26.4 25.6
Ireland European Region 53.2 47.8 58.5
Italy European Region 54.7 49.6 59.8
Kazakhstan European Region 31.5 32 31
Latvia European Region 32 28.1 35.9
Lithuania European Region 22.6 20.3 24.9
Luxembourg European Region 47.7 49.9 45.5
Malta European Region 71.9 70.7 73.1
Netherlands European Region 18.2 21.3 15.2
Norway European Region 44.2 43.4 45
Poland European Region 27.6 23.5 31.6
Portugal European Region 51 47.5 54.4
Romania European Region 38.7 31.2 46.2
Russian Federation European Region 20.8 22.7 18.8
Serbia European Region 68.3 63.2 73.3
Slovakia European Region 22.2 23.3 21.2
Slovenia European Region 30 26.5 33.6
Spain European Region 50.2 47.4 53.1
Sweden European Region 44.2 44.1 44.3
Turkey European Region 56 49.5 62.5
Ukraine European Region 18.4 20.4 16.3
United Kingdom European Region 63.3 58 68.6
Argentina Region of the Americas 68.3 65.8 70.9
Barbados Region of the Americas 46.9 38.3 55.6
Brazil Region of the Americas 49.2 47.2 51.6
Canada Region of the Americas 33.9 32.3 35.4
Colombia Region of the Americas 43.9 39.7 48
Dominica Region of the Americas 24.4 14.3 34.4
Dominican Republic Region of the Americas 60 57 62.9
Ecuador Region of the Americas 42.6 37 48.3
Guatemala Region of the Americas 16.2 15.3 17
Mexico Region of the Americas 37.7 37.1 38.4
Paraguay Region of the Americas 41.3 40.7 42
Saint Kitts and Nevis Region of the Americas 38.3 28.7 47.9
United States of America Region of the Americas 40.5 33.5 47.4
Uruguay Region of the Americas 34.1 28 40.2
Bangladesh South-East Asia Region 4.7 2.7 6.6
Bhutan South-East Asia Region 52.3 40.9 63.6
India South-East Asia Region 15.6 12.7 18.4
Indonesia South-East Asia Region 29.8 31.5 28.1
Malaysia South-East Asia Region 61.4 57.3 65.6
Maldives South-East Asia Region 39 36.6 41.3
Myanmar South-East Asia Region 12.7 10.4 14.9
Nepal South-East Asia Region 15.5 13.9 17
Seychelles South-East Asia Region 22.4 22.4 22.4
Sri Lanka South-East Asia Region 25.9 18.5 33.3
Thailand South-East Asia Region 19.2 17.1 21.4
Australia Western Pacific Region 37.9 35.9 39.9
Cambodia Western Pacific Region 11.2 11.4 11.1
China Western Pacific Region 31 29.7 32.3
Japan Western Pacific Region 60.2 58.9 61.6
Kiribati Western Pacific Region 46.7 38.4 54.9
Lao People's Dem. Rep. Western Pacific Region 18.8 16.7 21
Marshall Islands Western Pacific Region 49.6 43.5 55.7
Micronesia Western Pacific Region 66.3 58.2 74.4
Mongolia Western Pacific Region 9.4 9.3 9.5
Nauru Western Pacific Region 46.5 43 50
New Zealand Western Pacific Region 47.7 45 50.4
Papua New Guinea Western Pacific Region 19.3 17.2 21.5
Philippines Western Pacific Region 23.7 21.2 26.2
Samoa Western Pacific Region 51.1 36.8 65.4
Solomon Islands Western Pacific Region 43.7 38 49.5
Tonga Western Pacific Region 41.8 31.8 51.9
Vietnam Western Pacific Region 15.3 14.6 15.9

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• The entry for Bhutan in the data table above was amended on 19 July 2012, because it was originally listed as being in the "African Region".
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