It appears that older people make up the bulk of people who do not exercise. Almost 93% of men over 55 and 87% of women over 55 have never or seldomly exercised or played sport. 

But why are people in Malta avoiding exercise altogether? Almost 50% of respondents simply said that they do not have the time, while around 20% said they are not interested or lack the motivation to do so.

The survey does hint that people struggle to access places to exercise or play sports. Almost 56% said they exercise on the way home, whether that’s from school, work or sports. 

Conversely, around 10% said they did so at a fitness centre, while around 8% said they did so at a sports club or centre. Just under 80% said they are not a member of any club or centre in the country. 

People in Malta also sit far more often than their EU counterparts. While around 28% spend between five and eight hours a day sitting down, almost 45% do so in Malta. 

​​Malta is the most obese country in the European Union according to figures published by Eurostat. 

According to the report, the latest figures show that Malta’s obesity rate stands at 28.7%. the largest in the bloc. The lowest, meanwhile, are Romania (10.9%) and neighbours Italy (11.7%).

Meanwhile, a recent WHO report discovered that around 40% and 36% of Maltese children and adolescents are overweight.

The government has acted and has recently launched a national strategy to combat childhood obesity. However, it appears a lot of work is needed to get people moving in the country.

Do you exercise?