Spain most active country in the EU, study finds

Spain’s landscape and climate makes staying active incredibly easy, whether a local or an expat.

While the sweltering temperatures currently cooking Spain may not be the most conducive to active living, the fact that the nation enjoys near year-round warmth undoubtedly plays a major part in making it the most active country in the European Union (EU)…

Researchers from the American Stanford University tracked the average daily step count of people from 46 countries in the world based on smartphone data.

The study found that Spaniards take an average of 5,936 steps a day, placing it ahead of all other EU countries. Globally, Hong Kong was the most active country, followed by China and Japan, while Indonesians walk the least.

In Europe, Spaniards were way ahead of their fellow Europeans. The Swedes, Swiss, Czechs and Brits make up the top five, while the Greeks walk the least, averaging less than 4,400 steps a day.

The research was conducted to identify a correlation between daily activity and levels of heart disease and obesity. In this instance, correlation is indeed causation, with the more active people of Hong Kong boasting some of the lowest levels of obesity and heart disease in the world. Hong Kong also had the smallest difference between the most and the least active walkers. The study found that the smaller this gap, the lower the proportion of obesity too.

This “activity inequality” is, the Stanford professors say, an accurate indicator of the general health of a population. Hong Kong’s rating of 22.2 placed it top worldwide, while Spain’s score of 26.1 was enough to place the country in the top ten globally.

The least active countries in the world based on this data are Saudi Arabia, the USA, Canada and Australia – all nations with some of the highest carbon footprints per capita in the world.

Australians are, however, notoriously active, so step-count data is not – in isolation – the only measure of a nation’s health.

In Spain’s case, however, the excellent Mediterranean diet, outdoors lifestyle and attractive work-life balance combine to create one of the healthiest places to live in the world.