Key stAtistics TEST
Searching for information you can trust about physical activity?
We’ve created a helpful list of key statistics on how important getting and staying active can be.
Physical activity in Canada
The impacts of physical activity6
Impacts include:
Cost of inactivity – $3.9 billion annually
- The direct and indirect health care costs associated with physical inactivity in Canada have been estimated at $3.9 billion, annually.
Potential savings – $629 million annually
- Getting just 10% of people living in Canada to move more could result in an annual savings of $629 million in health care costs from chronic conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Mental health and social connectivity
- 61% of people living in Canada agree that sport, physical activity and recreation contributes to a reduction in feeling alone.
- 76% of people living in Canada feel welcomed and included through physical activity, sport, and recreation activities.
Resilience and life skill development
- 69% of people living in Canada agreed that physical activity, sport, and recreation contributes to reductions in harmful behaviours such as suicide ideation.
- Regular participation in physical activity has also been attributed to a 6% to 10% increase in earnings.7
Value of sport, physical activity and recreation
- $37.2 billion is the economic value of sport, physical activity and recreation in Canada.
Government investments
- $2 billion was invested by Canadian governments in physical activity, sport and recreation infrastructure in 2022.
Jobs
- 260,000 jobs in 2022 were provided by the physical activity, sport and recreation sector.
Accessibility
- 78% of people living in Canada have a public transportation system available in their community.
Active transportation and cost savings
- $564 million could be saved annually in reduced greenhouse gas emissions if just 1% of people living in Canada switched from private car use to active transportation.
- Public transit typically involves some active/physical transportation to and from stops or stations. Public transit use could save households roughly $10,000 per year, and by increasing activity levels, could potentially contribute to reducing public health and health care costs, more generally.
Physical activity on a global scale8
A leading risk factor for mortality
- Insufficient physical activity stands as the 4th leading risk factor for premature death and mortality, underscoring the critical need for lifestyle changes.
- Approximately 3.2 million deaths and 32.1 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)±, representing about 2.1% of global DALYs, are attributed annually to insufficient physical activity, highlighting its significant impact on global health.
Adult and adolescent inactivity
- 25% of adults and a staggering 81% of adolescents do not engage in enough physical activity. These current global estimates reveal a concerning reality.
Inactivity and economic development
- 70% increase in levels of physical inactivity can be seen when a country undergoes economic development. This increase is influenced by changing transport patterns, heightened technology use for work and recreation, evolving cultural values, and a rise in sedentary behaviours.
explore the benefits of physical activity.
General references
References
- *. Light physical activity is defined as activity that is performed between 1.5 and 3 metabolic equivalents (METs), such as walking at a slow pace, standing work or light housework such as washing dishes.
- ± DALYs for a disease or health condition are the sum of the years of life lost to due to premature mortality (YLLs) and the years lived with a disability (YLDs) due to prevalent cases of the disease or health condition in a population.
- Statistics Canada. (2021). Canadian Health Measures Survey, Cycle 6 [2018 and 2019], custom tabulation. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/82-003-X201900800001
- Government of Canada (2017). Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep (PASS) Indicators. Retrieved from https://health-infobase.canada.ca/pass/data-tool?index=1036
- Roberts et al. (2019). Meeting the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. Retrieved from: https://WWW150.STATCAN.GC.CA/N1/EN/PUB/82-003-X/2017010/ARTICLE/54875-ENG.PDF?ST=XLX-FQD6
- Chaput et al. (2017). Proportion of preschool-aged children meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and associations with adiposity: results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey. BMC Public Health,17(Suppl 5):829.
- Dumith et al. (2011). Physical activity change during adolescence: a systematic review and a pooled analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology, 40(3), 685–698. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/40/3/685/744518
- Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) and Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA). 2023. The Price of Inactivity: Measuring the Powerful Impact of Sport, Physical Activity, and Recreation in Canada. CFLRI & CPRA. Ottawa, ON, Canada. Retrieved from https://measuring-impact.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CFLRI-CPRA_Price-Inactivity-Full-Report-EN-FINAL.pdf
- Tovar-García E.D. Participation in Sports, Physical Exercise, and Wage Income: Evidence from Russian Longitudinal Data. (2021). German Journal of Exercise & Sport Research, 51:333–343.
- World Health Organization. Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: More active people for a healthier world. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272722/9789241514187-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
- Statistics Canada. Canadian Health Measures Survey. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 2018-2019. Web.
https://health-infobase.canada.ca/src/doc/pass_childrenyouth_en.pdf