Table 2 Prevalence (expressed as a percentage) of men and women not complying with the World Health Organization’s aerobic physical activity recommendations in the European Union countries between 2013 and 2017 and differences in the prevalence between both genders and for the same years

European Union

Women

42.1%

41.3–42.9%

11.75

<  0.001*

43.8%

43.0–44.6%

7.83

<  0.001*

2.88

0.04*

Men

35.1%

34.2–35.9%

39.1%

38.2–40.0%

6.48

<  0.001*

 Austria

Women (n = 1062)

37.1%

32.9–41.2%

0.69

0.49

46.5%

42.3–50.8%

2.01

0.04#

3.13

0.002*

Men (n = 952)

34.9%

30.7–39.2%

40.3%

35.9–44.7%

1.69

0.09

 Belgium

Women (n = 1057)

53.9%

49.7–58.1%

5.04

<  0.001#

46.8%

42.8–50.8%

1.57

0.12

−2.30

0.02&

Men (n = 972)

38.3%

34.1–42.6%

41.8%

38.0–45.6%

1.11

0.27

 Bulgaria

Women (n = 1076)

42.9%

38.7–47.1%

1.22

0.22

48.6%

44.5–52.8%

−0.47

0.64

1.89

0.06

Men (n = 916)

39.0%

34.6–43.5%

50.1%

45.5–54.7%

3.37

<  0.001*

 Croatia

Women (n = 1128)

35.5%

31.5–39.5%

2.40

0.02#

44.8%

40.7–48.9%

−0.82

0.41

3.18

0.001*

Men (n = 879)

28.3%

24.1–32.5%

47.4%

42.7–52.1%

5.83

<  0.001*

 Cyprus

Women (528)

70.5%

65.0–76.1%

2.93

0.003#

69.6%

64.1–75.1%

3.81

<  0.001#

−0.23

0.82

Men (n = 441)

57.8%

51.3–64.2%

52.8%

46.1–59.4%

−1.06

0.29

 Czechia

Women (n = 1157)

40.8%

36.8–44.8%

2.72

0.006#

43.5%

39.5–47.6%

0.60

0.55

0.93

0.35

Men (n = 847)

32.4%

27.9–36.9%

41.6%

37.0–46.3%

2.79

0.01*

 Denmark

Women (n = 993)

28.6%

24.7–32.5%

−1.33

0.18

29.8%

25.8–33.9%

−1.06

0.29

0.43

0.67

Men (n = 993)

32.5%

28.3–36.7%

32.9%

28.9–37.0%

0.15

0.88

 Estonia

Women (n = 1227)

33.4%

29.6–37.2%

1.64

0.10

29.8%

26.3–33.4%

0.12

0.90

−1.34

0.18

Men (n = 740)

28.5%

24.0–32.9%

29.4%

24.6–34.3%

0.29

0.77

 Finland

Women (n = 1036)

28.9%

25.0–32.8%

−0.17

0.87

29.4%

25.5–33.4%

−0.34

0.74

0.20

0.84

Men (n = 919)

29.4%

25.1–33.7%

30.4%

26.3–34.5%

0.34

0.73

 France

Women (n = 1098)

50.2%

46.0–54.4%

5.28

<  0.001#

50.9%

46.7–55.0%

4.23

<  0.001#

0.24

0.81

Men (n = 894)

33.6%

29.3–37.9%

37.4%

32.9–42.0%

1.18

0.24

 Germany

Women (n = 1396)

19.7%

16.6–22.9%

0.29

0.77

26.5%

23.4–29.6%

0.54

0.59

2.94

0.003*

Men (n = 1396)

19.1%

16.0–22.1%

25.3%

22.2–28.4%

2.77

0.006*

 Greece

Women (n = 1043)

51.6%

47.2–55.9%

2.26

0.02#

56.1%

51.9–60.3%

3.79

<  0.001#

1.45

0.15

Men (n = 909)

44.3%

39.8–48.8%

43.9%

39.3–48.5%

−0.13

0.9

 Hungary

Women (n = 1191)

47.7%

43.6–51.7%

3.85

<  0.001#

43.9%

39.9–47.8%

1.34

0.18

−1.32

0.19

Men (n = 835)

35.4%

30.8–40.1%

39.7%

35.1–44.4%

1.28

0.2

  Ireland

Women (n = 1062)

42.6%

38.5–46.8%

3.44

<  0.001#

47.6%

43.2–51.9%

3.55

<  0.001#

1.62

0.11

Men (n = 897)

31.9%

27.4–36.3%

36.4%

32.0–40.7%

1.43

0.15

 Italy

Women (n = 1065)

64.6%

60.6–68.6%

4.38

<  0.001#

65.0%

60.9–69.1%

1.72

0.09

0.13

0.9

Men (n = 946)

50.8%

46.1–55.5%

59.8%

55.5–64.0%

2.27

0.01*

 Latvia

Women (n = 1144)

28.0%

24.2–31.8%

1.83

0.07

30.2%

26.6–33.9%

1.51

0.13

0.82

0.41

Men (n = 804)

22.9%

19.0–26.8%

25.7%

21.2–30.2%

0.93

0.35

 Lithuania

Women (n = 1162)

36.0%

31.9–40.1%

1.50

0.13

45.8%

41.9–49.7%

1.15

0.25

3.40

<  0.001*

Men (n = 805)

31.4%

27.1–35.8%

42.1%

37.0–47.1%

3.13

<  0.001*

 Luxembourg

Women (n = 579)

33.2%

27.8–38.6%

−0.41

0.68

32.1%

26.7–37.5%

1.73

0.08

−0.30

0.77

Men (n = 391)

35.0%

28.4–41.7%

24.7%

18.7–30.8%

−2.22

0.03&

 Malta

Women (n = 582)

66.3%

60.9–71.7%

2.39

0.02#

76.7%

71.9–81.6%

3.37

<  0.001#

2.79

0.01*

Men (n = 406)

55.6%

48.7–62.6%

62.9%

56.3–69.4%

1.49

0.14

 Netherlands

Women (n = 1013)

23.5%

20.0–27.1%

−0.26

0.79

26.2%

22.2–30.2%

1.37

0.17

0.99

0.32

Men (n = 991)

24.2%

20.3–28.2%

22.5%

19.0–26.1%

−0.64

0.52

 Poland

Women (n = 1115)

58.1%

54.1–62.1%

2.19

0.03#

52.6%

48.5–56.7%

−0.45

0.64

−1.88

0.06

Men (n = 750)

50.8%

45.7–56.0%

54.1%

49.2–59.1%

0.90

0.37

 Portugal

Women (n = 1197)

65.5%

61.6–69.4%

4.54

<  0.001#

72.7%

69.2–76.2%

3.74

<  0.001#

2.69

0.01*

Men (n = 889)

51.5%

47.0–56.1%

61.8%

57.2–66.4%

3.08

<  0.001*

 Romania

Women (n = 992)

36.6%

32.3–40.9%

1.47

0.14

51.7%

47.3–56.0%

0.86

0.39

4.78

<  0.001*

Men (n = 949)

32.1%

28.0–36.2%

48.9%

44.3–53.5%

5.28

<  0.001*

 Slovakia

Women (n = 1161)

37.9%

33.9–41.9%

0.29

0.77

44.6%

40.6–48.5%

−0.79

0.43

2.29

0.02*

Men (n = 877)

37.0%

32.4–41.7%

47.0%

42.4–51.5%

2.97

<  0.001*

 Slovenia

Women (n = 1194)

42.6%

38.8–46.4%

2.55

0.01#

39.6%

35.5–43.7%

1.73

0.08

1.05

0.30

Men (n = 918)

34.9%

30.6–39.3%

34.3%

30.0–38.7%

−0.19

0.85

 Spain

Women (n = 1079)

32.4%

28.4–36.4%

2.92

0.003#

37.2%

33.2–41.2%

2.39

0.02#

1.66

0.10

Men (n = 910)

24.0%

20.1–27.9%

30.0%

25.7–34.2%

2.04

0.04

 Sweden

Women (n = 978)

23.4%

19.6–27.1%

1.02

0.31

22.4%

18.8–26.1%

−0.43

0.67

−0.34

0.73

Men (n = 1046)

20.7%

17.1–24.2%

23.6%

20.0–27.1%

1.13

0.26

United Kingdom

Women (n = 1021)

44.0%

39.7–48.3%

2.28

0.02#

40.6%

36.4–44.9%

2.36

0.02#

−1.08

0.28

Men (n = 959)

36.8%

32.3–41.2%

33.5%

29.3–37.6%

−1.07

0.29