Danes less active for first time in decades

Sports participation declined among adults and children aged 7-15

May 24, 2016

The Danish population has become less active compared to five years ago, according to a new report from the Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idan).

The report found that despite the Danes taking up a greater variety of forms of exercise, they are less active when it comes to activities in sports associations, commercial fitness centres or self-organised sports.

“Denmark is still a model country, so we don’t need to have a bad conscience about it, but it is still interesting,” Maja Pilgaard, an analyst and researcher with Idan and author of the report, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

“On one hand, you’ll reach a saturation point eventually and on the other there are lots of new initiatives out there which fulfil changed needs and desires of those looking to exercise, so one can wonder why its plateauing already.”

‘Vision 25-50-75’
The report found that sports participation among adults fell from 64 percent to 61 percent from 2011 to 2016, while it also dropped from 86 to 83 percent among children aged 7-15.

It’s the first decline measured since the statistics began being kept over 50 years ago in 1964.

The trend also works against the joint vision from the Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) and the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI). Their vision, ‘Vision 25-50-75’, aims to have 50 percent of Danes being part of a sports association and 75 percent of Danes being active in sports by 2025.