Physically inactive people in Italy, who neither play sports nor participate in physical activity in their spare time, were 39.1 percent of the population in 2022, up from 34.8 percent in 2021, according to a new report titled “Gli Italiani e lo Sport” (tr.: “Italians and Sports”). Physical inactivity rates are still higher in the country’s southern regions than in the North. The highest inactivity rates were recorded in Campania, with 55.1 percent of the population not participating in sport or physical activity, followed by Puglia (54.8 percent) and Basilicata (53.7 percent). In Sicily, Calabria, and Puglia itself, physical inactivity rates had lowered over the previous 20 years but returned to increase in 2022, highlights the report. The new study, conducted by Osservatorio permanente sullo sport in collaboration with ISTAT, IBDO Foundation and Istituto Piepoli, was presented in Rome on Feb. 5.
The gender gap also persists, with 42.5 percent of physically inactive among women against 35.4 percent among men. The gender gap is also present among people with serious disabilities, with 15.4 percent of men physically active in this group against 7.9 percent of women (based on figures from ISTAT).
Social inequalities, and notably educational qualifications, affect participation in sports. Among the 25-44-year-olds, the number of Italians with a low qualification who do not participate in sports or physical activity is more than double that of those with a higher qualification (49.7 percent vs. 17.9 percent). Furthermore, in the 2001-2021 timeframe, physical inactivity decreased to a greater extent among people with a higher educational qualification, says the report.
Family plays a key role in promoting physical activity among children, adolescents and young adults. Among the 3-24-year-olds, almost eight out of ten play sports when both parents play sports, whereas just over three out of ten engage in sports when both parents are physically inactive.
To conclude on a positive note, the number of those in Italy who participated in sports regularly increased from 21.5 percent in 2021 to 22.4 percent in 2022, after the decline in 2021 due to the restrictive measures in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic.
