Sedentary kings: 1 in 2 Maltese spend over five hours sitting down

The share Maltese respondents who said they do not exercise or play sport, has fallen by a dramatic 25 points compared to a 2017 survey by the European Commission.

Still, despite this positive change, the Maltese remain largely sedentary, with 53% saying they spend over 5.5 hours sitting either at their work desk or watching TV on a typical day. The largest segment of the Maltese population (44%) spends between 5 hours 30 minutes and 8 hours 30 minutes sitting.

Only 39% of all European sit for more than 5 hours 30 minutes.  The Maltese are only overtaken by the Dutch, Danes and Greeks when it comes to the time they spend sitting down.

Compared to 2017, the percentage of Maltese who spend over 8.5 hours sitting has fallen by five points, while those who spend between 5 hours 30 minutes and 8 hours 30 minutes sitting has increased by 19 percentage points. This means that the percentage who sit for more than 5 hours 30 minutes a day has increased by 14 percentage points since 2017.

But the survey shows that the Maltese are more likely to participate in a sports activity or physical exercise than they were in 2017.  But the major difference is in the number of Maltese whose participation in such activities is seldom and not regular.

In fact, while those who participate regularly in sports activities has actually declined from 11% in 2017 to 7% in 2022, those who participate with some regularity has increased by 6% while those whose participation is seldom have increased by a staggering 23%. On the other hand, those who never participate in any sports has decreased by 25%.

Similarly, the percentage of Maltese who never walk for more than 10 minutes has fallen by a remarkable 16 percentage points.

The percentage of those who never participate in sports and physical activity has fallen in 17 EU Member States, and by two digits in five countries: Malta (31%, -25 percentage points), Latvia (33%, -23), Estonia (30%, -18), Croatia (40%, -16) and Czechia (26%, -15). Conversely, it has risen in seven countries, most notably in Poland (65%, +9), Hungary (59%, +6) and Portugal (73%, +5).

Significantly most Maltese (56%) engage in physical exercise on their way between home and work or when shopping compared and only 20% of Maltese exercise in the park. In contrast 47% of all Europeans exercise in the park and only 24% exercise on the way between work and home or while shopping.  Only 10% of Maltese and 13% of all Europeans exercise in a fitness centre.