In this article, we will look into the 20 laziest countries in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Laziest Countries in the World.
The Global Impact of Physical Inactivity
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1.4 billion people in the world are not physically active, a staggering 1 in 4 adults is physically inactive globally. Physical inactivity leads to laziness and is also linked to a global mortality risk of 20-30% in adults. Over 80% of the global adolescent population is not sufficiently active. 28% of adults aged 18 and above were reported to be insufficiently active in 2016.
Physical inactivity levels are twice as high in high-income countries compared to low-income countries. High-income countries reported insufficient physical activity in 26% of men and 35% of women. Whereas low-income countries reported that 12% of men and 24% of women were not sufficiently physically active. Since 2001, there has been no significant improvement in global levels of physical wellness and activity, affecting health systems, the environment, economic development, community well-being, and quality of life.
Physical inactivity leads to various health problems in adolescents such as obesity, poor cardiometabolic health, and fatigue. In adults, it can cause cardiovascular diseases, increased mortality rates, and obesity. Obesity and physical inactivity both contribute to a vicious cycle of low energy and motivation.
Obesity and Laziness
Obesity hinders individuals from participating in fitness and physical activity as it puts a strain on the heart, lungs, and joints. Physical inactivity and obesity both play a significant role in making individuals lethargic and lazy by creating a feedback loop that reinforces a lack of motivation. As people become more physically inactive, their inclination towards fitness decreases which contributes to weight gain and fatigue, eternalizing the cycle of laziness. According to the World Obesity Federation, obesity has a significant economic impact. In 2020, the economic impact of obesity varied from region to region, reporting an economic impact of 1% of GDP in the African region and 3% in America. According to the estimates, the overall overweight and obesity economic impact is expected to rise over 3% of GDP globally by 2060.
Health and Fitness Club Market
The rising prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity rates worldwide has resulted in a surge in demand for health and fitness, driving growth in the fitness club market. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the health and fitness club market is projected to reach $98.14 billion in 2023. The growth is expected to continue at a CAGR of 12% and reach $172.95 billion by 2028. The growth can be attributed to rising health awareness and the prevalence of obesity.
Regionally, the market is dominated by North America with the largest share in the market. This is due to the increase in the population of adults aged between 20 and 64, the largest gym-going demographic. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecasted period.
Major Players in the Health and Fitness Club Industry
Some of the notable names in the health and fitness club market include Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH), Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON), and Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT).
Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH) is a leading fitness and recreational sports center company. On November 2, Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH) announced the launch of its new Life Time Living Community in Burlington, Massachusetts. The community offers 167 residential units, a 173,000-square-foot athletic country club, and a half-acre park. The community is designed to promote a healthy and socially connected lifestyle. Residents of the community would have access to amenities such as studios, group class and training spaces, indoor and outdoor pools, professional sports courts, Life Cafe restaurant, LifeSpa salon and spa, weekly meal prep from LifeCafe, and personal training sessions.
Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON) is an American exercise equipment and media company. On October 24, Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON) announced that it would be expanding its hardware products offering to Canada with the launch of Pelton Row. The Pelton Row is now available for purchase in Canada. The row is a 15-minute low-impact, full-body cardio and strength workout. The Pelton Row is available for sale at an introductory price of CAD 3,370 inclusive of delivery and set-up charges, until January 9, 2024. After that, the product will be sold for CAD 3,845.
Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT) is a leading fitness club company, boasting a market cap of $5.75 billion, as of November 28. On November 7, Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT) announced its earnings for the fiscal third quarter of 2023. The company reported an EPS of $0.59 and beat estimates by $0.04. Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT) reported quarterly revenue of $277.5 million and overperformed estimates by $9.37 million. The company’s revenue grew by 13.57% on a year-over-year basis.
Here are some of the comments from Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT) Q3 2023 earnings call:
“We now expect between 150 and 160 new stores and between 130 and 140 equipment placements in new franchise stores. We continue to expect system wide same-store sales growth to be in the high single-digit percentage range given our strong membership trends. We now expect that reequipped sales will make up approximately mid 60% of total equipment segment revenue for the year. Our franchisees continued to invest in their existing stores as evidenced by the fact that we expect our full-year reequipped revenue to be greater than what we had originally forecasted. Given our strong sales during our reequipped promotions year-to-date, we expect light Q4 reequipped sales as franchisees are allocating capital up to building new stores. This is the primary driver behind our revised expectation of approximately 14% revenue growth and approximately 18% adjusted EBITDA growth.”
Now that we have talked about the global physical inactivity stats and obesity and discussed the notable names in the fitness club market, let’s have a look at the 20 laziest countries in the world.
20 Laziest Countries in the World
Methodology
To rank the laziest countries in the world, we utilized the Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults and the Prevalence of Obesity as our key metrics. We sourced our data from the World Health Organization and the World Obesity Observatory respectively.
Given that a lack of physical activity can lead to lethargy and laziness, we utilized the prevalence of insufficient physical activity in adults as our primary metric and compiled a list of the top 50 countries. Then, to form a list of the 20 laziest countries, we employed both our metrics to calculate our final score. We assigned 60% weight to insufficient physical activity and 40% to obesity prevalence. Finally, we ranked our countries in ascending order of the calculated score.
20 Laziest Countries in the World
20. Portugal
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 43.40%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 21.12%
Insider Monkey Rating: 34.48 out of 100
Portugal reported insufficient physical activity of 43.40% in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 21.12% of adults in Portugal were reported to be obese in 2022. It is ranked 2oth on our list.
19. Suriname
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 44.43%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 19.64%
Insider Monkey Rating: 34.51 out of 100
Suriname ranks 19th on our list, with 44.43% of its adults not meeting the sufficient physical activity range in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, Suriname reported an obesity prevalence of 19.64% in 2022.
18. Hungary
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 38.54%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 29.12%
Insider Monkey Rating: 34.77 out of 100
Hungary is ranked among the laziest countries in the world with over 38% of its adult population reported to be insufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 29.12% of adults in Hungary were reported to be obese in 2022.
17. Germany
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 42.21%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 25.04%
Insider Monkey Rating: 35.34 out of 100
Germany reported insufficient physical activity of 42.21% in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 25% of adults in Germany were reported to be obese in 2022. It is ranked 17th on our list
16. Qatar
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 36.83%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 33.46%
Insider Monkey Rating: 35.48 out of 100
Qatar is ranked among the laziest countries in the world with 36.83% of its adults not meeting the sufficient physical activity range in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 33.46% of adults in Qatar were reported to be obese in 2022.
15. Cyprus
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 44.35%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 22.65%
Insider Monkey Rating: 35.67 out of 100
Cyprus ranks 15th on our list, with 44..35% of its adults not meeting the sufficient physical activity standards in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, Cyprus reported an obesity prevalence of 22.65% in 2022.
14. Brazil
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 47.02%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 19.24%
Insider Monkey Rating: 35.90 out of 100
Brazil reported insufficient physical activity of 47.02% in 2016 as reported by the WHO. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 19.24% of adults in Brazil were reported to be obese in 2022. It is ranked 14th on our list.
13. United Arab Emirates
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 41.35%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 28.44%
Insider Monkey Rating: 36.18 out of 100
The United Arab Emirates ranks 13th on our list with 41.35% of its adults not sufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, the UAE reported an obesity prevalence of 28.44% in 2022.
12. Argentina
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 41.58%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 28.23%
Insider Monkey Rating: 36.24 out of 100
Argentina is ranked among the laziest countries in the world with over 41% of its adult population reported to be insufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 28.23% of adults in Argentina were reported to be obese in 2022.
11. Costa Rica
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 46.06%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 21.83%
Insider Monkey Rating: 36.36 out of 100
Costa Rica ranks 11th on our list with 46.06% of its adults not meeting the sufficient physical activity standards in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, Costa Rica reported an obesity prevalence of 21.83% in 2022.
10. Malta
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016):41.75%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 30.11%
Insider Monkey Rating: 37.09 out of 100
Malta reported insufficient physical inactivity of 41.75% in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 30.11% of adults in Malta were reported to be obese in 2022. It is ranked 10th on our list.
9. New Zealand
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 42.38%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 31.07%
Insider Monkey Rating: 37.85 out of 100
New Zealand is ranked among the laziest countries in the world with over 42% of its adult population reported to be insufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 31% of adults in New Zealand were reported to be obese in 2022.
8. Micronesia
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 36.65%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 41.48%
Insider Monkey Rating: 38.58 out of 100
Micronesia ranks 8th on our list with 36.65% of its adults not sufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, Micronesia reported an obesity prevalence of 41.48% in 2022.
7. United States
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 40.01%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 36.47%
Insider Monkey Rating: 38.59 out of 100
The United States reported insufficient physical activity of 40% in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 36.7% of adults in the US were reported to be obese in 2022. It is ranked 7th on our list
6. Iraq
Prevalence of Insufficient Physical Activity in Adults (2016): 52.03%
Prevalence of Obesity (2022): 24.3%
Insider Monkey Rating: 40.93 out of 100
Iraq is ranked among the laziest countries in the world with over half of its adult population reported to be insufficiently active in 2016. According to the World Obesity Observatory, 24.3% of adults in Iraq were reported to be obese in 2022.
Click to continue reading and see the 5 Laziest Countries in the World.
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Disclosure. None. 20 Laziest Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.