AS A NATION, the Irish love their sport. But how well does that translate into taking exercise and keeping fit on a personal level?

New research on European exercise behaviours seeks to shed light on how the continent fares when it comes to physical well-being.

The study, a Eurobarometer exercise on behalf of the European Commission, interviewed 27,919 respondents across the 28 member states of the EU as to their exercise habits.

So how well do we rank? Well, the results are a bit of a mixed bunch.

Regular Exercise (sport etc.)

34% of Irish people take no kind of regular exercise at all. This compares to 35% in the UK. For sporty types, Ireland stands as the 11th most active country. The fittest nation in the EU from this point of view is Sweden with just 9% of their population taking no exercise or playing no sport whatsoever.

Bulgaria, Malta and Portugal bring up the rear, with between 64% and 78% of those interviewed never taking any exercise. The EU average is 42%

Eurobarometer Eurobarometer

There’s good news for the Irish from one point of view – 16% of Irish respondents exercise or play sport regularly – the highest in the EU (yes, even more than the uber-fit Swedes)

Moderate Exercise (cycling, walking, erm dancing)

As might be expected our figures for moderate exercise, i.e. a short walk each day, are slightly better, with just 29% of Irish respondents claiming to never take any exercise of any description. This could be better however – we’re the tenth worst EU country from that point of view, and only slightly better than the 30% Union average.

Eurobarometer Eurobarometer

The same figure for the UK is 23%. Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark are the highest performers, with just -6% of those spoken to never taking any exercise. The worst couch potatoes going are in Portugal (60% of respondents take no exercise), Malta (57%), and Cyprus (also 57%).

Sedentary Behaviour (not really doing much other than sitting)

Oddly enough, Portugal (33%) and Malta(30%) are among the countries where respondents spend less than two and a half hours sitting down daily, while in Denmark (25%), The Netherlands (25%), and Sweden (21%) respondents have the highest likelihood of spending more than eight and a half hours sitting down each day.

That’s a pretty neat reversal of the figures for moderate exercise, suggesting that across the EU those who have an inactive working day are more likely to take exercise on their own time and vice versa.

Eurobarometer Eurobarometer

When it comes to sitting, Ireland is the eighth highest performing country (with 20%) when it comes to having a seat for less than two and a half hours daily (the UK finishes sixteenth with 16%).

The EU average for sitting less than two and a half hours daily is 17%, while 11% of the Union sits for greater than eight and a half hours each day.

Eurobarometer Eurobarometer

Random facts and figures

Other noteworthy facts contained in the report include:

• Young men in Europe exercise more than young women (74% vs 55%), although this trend is most pronounced between the ages of 15 and 24. This becomes more equalised with age: 70% of men and 71% of women in the EU aged over-55 never or seldom exercise
• 41% of Europeans exercise or play sport at last once a week, 59% never or seldom do so
• 48% of Europeans do some other mild form of physical activity (gardening, cycling, dancing), while 30% of EU citizens take no exercise whatsoever
• Generally speaking, Scandinavian and North European citizens are the most physically active – Sweden, Denmark and Finland top the European fitness table.

If all this is depressing you, remember it’s never too late to start. Everything begins with baby-steps.

Read: Most of us don’t realise severe obesity is as dangerous as smoking

Read: The 10-minute glute exercise routine you should try this week