Sports and outdoor activities, survey on living conditions, 2013

In 2013, 82 per cent of Norwegians aged 16 years old or more are exercising at least once a week. In 1997, the corresponding figure was 63 per cent. Six per cent never exercise or do any kind of sports. This figure was 27 per cent in 1997. The gender gap in these figures is small in 2013 and earlier years. In all age groups, more than three out of four exercise at least once a week.

Keen cyclists and skiers

Jogging, cycling, skiing and strength training are sports activities that are popular. In 2013, 45 per cent had been cycling, 40 per cent had been skiing, 40 per cent had been jogging and 39 per cent had been doing strength training. The percentage who had been swimming in the last 12 months was 26, while the corresponding figure for alpine sports was 22 per cent.

Increase in strength training

The sports activity that has increased most in recent years is strength training. The percentage doing this kind of activity was 18 in 2001. This increased to 39 per cent in 2013. There has also been an increase in jogging, from a percentage of 20 in 2001 to 40 in 2013.

Cross-country skiing, cycling and swimming are sports where the activity is fairly evenly distributed between the different age groups, but the percentage is lower among the older groups of the population than among the younger ones. Jogging, weight training, alpine sports and all kinds of ball sports are disciplines where young people are most active and where the activity declines with increasing age.

Men play football, women do aerobics

Women and men differ slightly when choosing training activities. Men are most active in jogging, cycling, alpine sports, football, ice hockey, tennis and golf. Women are most active in organised dance and aerobic/keep fit exercises. While 9 per cent of men did aerobics during the last 12 months, the share among women was 29 per cent.

Swimming and jogging are mostly city activities

The percentage that is active in swimming, jogging, aerobics/keep fit or tennis/squash/badminton is higher in the large cities than in the countryside. For other sports disciplines the activity is fairly similar between people living in urban areas and those living in rural areas. This also applies to the percentage training in total and those who train at least once a week.

There is a clear tendency that skiing and higher education go together. While 24 per cent ¹ of those with an elementary education have been skiing in the last 12 months, the percentage is 66 ¹ among those who have a long university or college education. Those with a higher education are also more active than those with a low education within jogging and cycling.

35 per cent do strength training more than ten times a year

Strength training is the sports activity in which the population is most active. In 2013, 34 per cent had done this kind of training more than ten times in the last 12 months. Thirty per cent had been similarly active with jogging. The same applies to cycling. Nineteen per cent had been skiing more than 10 times, 15 per cent had been similarly active in swimming and with aerobics/keep fit. Only one per cent had been active more than ten times with handball, athletics, golf and skating.

¹ The figure was corrected 9 December 2014.