The Laziest Countries in the World?

Timed intentionally to coincide with the nearing Olympic Games, The Lancet has released a hefty series of studies on the growing worldwide health problem, inactivity, which has now been elevated to “pandemic” status.

The take-home message from the series is that about a third of people across the world do not meet the minimum activity recommendations (which is generally about 2.5 hours of moderate activity per week). But countries vary greatly, with Malta topping the inactive list at 71.9%, and Greece faring best, at 15.6%. The situation is worse for adolescents (ages 13-15) across the globe, of whom about 80% fall into the inactive category.

But however overweight, obese, and sedentary Americans have the reputation for being, we’re not among the most inactive, with 40.5% of U.S. citizens being rated as such. In fact, the U.S. comes in at No. 46. (Click here for a list of the Top 20 Laziest Countries.) As is the case for many of the nations analyzed, the situation is worse for U.S. women, with 47% being inactive, vs. only 33.5% of men.