Bangladesh has the most physically active population in the world, while Malta has the least active, according to a study published as part of a multi-part look at global health in The Lancet on July 17.
The study, which also found one in ten deaths — 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide in 2008 — was due to inactivity, was conducted by researchers at Brazil's Universidade Federal de Pelotas and compiled answers to 155 population surveys from 122 countries.
"In most countries, inactivity rises with age and is higher in women than in men. Inactivity is also increased in high-income countries," Hallal told The Telegraph.
"It's true that many affluent countries topped the ranking, though countries with great poverty, such as the Dominican Republic and Swaziland, also made it on the list," he added.
Bangladesh's inactivity rate was 4.7 percent, while Malta's was 71.9 percent. Meanwhile, Britain at 63 percent out-slothed other countries like the United States at 41 percent, France (33 percent) and Greece (16 percent).
Excessive inactivity can leads to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancer.
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