Subscribe to our newsletter and get statistical data as soon as it is available!...
In 2022
Regular sport activity and physical exercise in free time decreased
The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) released today new indicators derived from the Adult Education Survey, conducted between September 2022 and February 2023, thereby expanding the time series available on the website of DREM. Indicators related to the sports participation of the population aged 18 to 69 in the 12 months preceding the interview are being released, specifically attendance at live sports events, participation in sports activities, and engagement in physical exercise during leisure time. This information is considered important for contextualizing the population's participation in education and training.
In 2022, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ARM), 29.3% of the population aged 18 to 69 reported having attended live sports events (such as football matches, swimming competitions, athletics, motor racing, etc.) in the 12 months preceding the interview. This represents a decrease of 9.5 percentage points (pp) compared to 2016 (38.8%) and 9.4 pp compared to 2011 (38.7%). Among those who attended live sports events, 58.5% attended up to 6 times in the last 12 months, while 41.5% attended more than 6 times. Nationally, 33.1% of persons aged 18 to 69 reported attending sports events, also showing a decrease of 9.4 pp (42.5%) compared to 2016 and 3.7 pp (36.8%) compared to 2011.
Among the surveyed population in 2022, 36.4% of persons indicated having engaged in sports activities in the 12 months preceding the interview (38.8% in 2016). Of these, 24.1% practised regularly, i.e., 5 or more times per week, 55.3% practiced with some regularity, i.e., 1 to 4 times per week, and 20.3% did so rarely, i.e., 3 or fewer times per month. Compared to 2016, the first year this indicator was released, there was a decrease of 14.3 pp in regular practise (38.4%). Meanwhile, the proportion of those who practised with some regularity or rarely increased by 9.1 pp (46.2%) and 4.9 pp (15.4%), respectively. Nationally, in 2022, 45.2% of persons aged 18 to 69 reported engaging in sports activities in the 12 months preceding the interview, 8.8 pp higher than in the ARM. Among those who participated, the distribution by frequency of practice was very similar to the ARM: 23.2% regularly, 55.8% with some regularity, and 20.5% rarely.
Regarding physical exercise conducted in free time, whose primary purpose is recreation and time occupation, such as walking, cycling, dancing, and gardening, 53.2% of the surveyed population reported engaging in physical exercise, down by 0.8 pp over 2016 (54.0%). Among those who exercised, 18.4% did so regularly, i.e., 5 or more times per week, 54.0% did so with some regularity, i.e., 1 to 4 times per week, and 27.2% did so rarely, i.e., 3 or fewer times per month. Compared to 2016, there was a decrease of 10.0 pp (28.4%) in the population reporting regular exercise and an increase of 9.7 pp (44.3%) in the proportion of persons exercising with some regularity. The proportion of the population exercising rarely remained the same at 27.2%. Nationally, 50.4% of the population aged 18 to 69 reported exercising during leisure time, declining by 1.6 pp over 2016 (52.0%). By frequency of sports practice, the national level shows a higher proportion of regular exercisers (20.2%), 1.8 pp above the ARM.

For more information, please click on: