Physical activity behavior (age: 18+)

In 2022, 75.7% of the Swiss population followed the national physical activity recommendations: 27.4% were irregularly active, 18.3% regularly active and 30.1% physically fit. The proportion of the population practising adequate physical activity has been increasing since 2002 (61.1%), but has levelled off since 2017 (75.3%).

Men (2022: 78.4%) tend to follow the recommendations for physical activity more than women (73.2%). Furthemore, the percentage of the population taking adequate physical activity increases with educational level: 60.3% of persons with compulsory education completed meet national physical activity recommendations, while the percentage who do so among those who have completed tertiary-level education amounts to 79.5%.

This indicator is part of the Monitoring System Addiction and NCD (MonAM) of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

Assigned topics

Leading indicators of the NCD strategy 2017-2028

Diet, physical activity, obesity

Equal opportunities

Adults (15+)

Regular physical activity protects against non-communicable diseases and helps in the management thereof. For high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, infectious diseases and back pain, physical activity can have a powerful protective effect.

Regular physical activity positively influences the immune system, mental health, cognitive health (especially thinking skills and memory), sleep, reducing stress, health-related quality of life and general well-being. Active persons also suffer less frequently from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia (FOSPO et al., 2022).

Definition

This indicator was calculated on the basis of data from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS, n₂₀₂₂ ≈ 22 000), and is updated every five years.

It shows the percentage of people aged 18 and over living in private households who are at least irregularly physically active (irregularly active, regularly active or physically fit) and whose activity level therefore meets the national physical activity recommendations. The distribution of physical activity behaviour in the population is also shown.

The indicator is based on a combination of questions about the intensity and the frequency of the physical activities performed. It distinguishes the following five physical activity behaviours:

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Source

Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Swiss Health Survey (in German, French, and Italian)

Reference

Swiss National Recommendations on Physical Activity. Basics (2022). Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO), Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Health promotion Switzerland, Swiss Competence Centre for Accident Prevention (bfu), Health and physical activity network Switzerland (hepa), Magglingen: Publication (in German, French and Italian)

Further information

Federal Office of Sport (FOSO): Publications, in German, French, and Italian
Health and physical activity network Switzerland (hepa.ch): Physical activity recommendations (in German, French and Italian)
Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung 2017. Körperliche Aktivität und Gesundheit (2019). Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS), Neuchâtel: BFS Aktuell (in German); Actualités OFS (in French).
Swiss Sport Obervatory (SportObs): Website
Vinci, L. et al. (2021). Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen in der Schweiz: Wie viel tragen veränderte Risikofaktoren und medizinische Massnahmen zur geringeren Mortalität bei? Schlussbericht. Study commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Winterthur: Study (in German).

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Last updated

14/04/2025