Cyprus has the highest percentage of physically inactive people (44.4 percent) among developed countries with Greece following close behind, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
The worldwide survey conducted in regards to health and exercise shows that about 1.4 billion people do not exercise enough, something that increases health risks as physical inactivity is associated with illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, some cancers, and so on.
The WHO study shows that the proportion of people who do not exercise enough has remained stable or increased since 2001. Developed countries are among those with the lowest levels of physical inactivity, most of theme in South Europe and the Balkans.
Finland is the country with the most physically active citizens as only 16.6 percent of them do not exercise enough. The average number of physically inactive people in developed countries is 36.8 percent (31.2 percent for men, and 42.3 percent for women).
Cyprus, on the other hand, has the least physically active people among developed countries, with 44.4 percent of them not exercising. Greece — along with Italy, Portugal, and Bulgaria — follows close with high percentages of physically inactive people. For men the percentage is 30 to 40, while 40 to 50 percent of women lack exercise.
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