site.btaBulgaria's Young People Much Less Physically Active Than EU Peers

Physical activity in the 15-29 age group in Bulgaria is lacking or much lower than in the EU, National Statistical Institute (NSI) President Atanas Atanasov told the Parliamentary Committee on Children, Youth and Sport. He presented an NSI report on statistical data and analysis of the population and its physical activity needs.

The analysis is based on four surveys: the population and housing census of 2021; the European Health Interview Survey, conducted every five years, the last of which was done in 2019; a survey on the number of indoor activity places; and a survey on current education statistics. 

According to the NSI data, walking is the only physical activity more widespread in the 15-29 age group in Bulgaria than in other EU countries. It is also the only physical activity involving almost equal numbers of men and women. Cycling is significantly less common in Bulgaria than in the EU, with a wide disparity between men (31%) and women (13%). Spending time in the gym or other sporting activity for at least 10 minutes is almost twice as rare in Bulgaria as in the EU, with involvement at 51% for boys and 21% for girls. Bulgarian young people also lag behind in high-intensity physical activities, where the disproportion between men and women is understandably large.

The NSI analysis shows that the total number of schools with sports facilities is 2,188, and only 75 of them have swimming pools. 

"We were surprised by the fact that young people, especially girls, are not very physically active. Clearly, measures need to be taken to increase the physical activity of young people," the Commission's Deputy Chairperson Daniela Dasheva said after the presentation.