Our habits shaken by the virus
With these figures, we can sum up one of the effects of the coronavirus crisis: people moved less on a daily basis, but did more sport in their spare time.
In the face of the pandemic, Garmin has compared the activities of people around the world in April this year with the figures for 2019. Which activities have increased most and least in different countries?
In the future, April will be remembered as a coronavirus period that affected almost every country, culture and community.
Garmin, the US sports watch manufacturer, had already released user data one and two months ago. Up until then, the focus had been on activity models in the US and Europe.
Here are some global figures provided by the Americans that we could summarise as follows:
- the total number of steps in the world fell by 12% in April 2020;
- the number of steps in pure training activities has increased by 24% worldwide;
- sport has increased worldwide and in various forms to compensate for the decrease in daily activity attributable to the coronavirus crisis.
Total number of steps taken worldwide
By comparing April 2020 with April 2019, we can then clearly see the impact of the pandemic on our daily lives. Aggregated data from millions of Garmin users shows a global drop of 12% in the average number of steps per day. The footfall map below shows which countries have seen a steeper decline than others.
On a global scale, Garmin believes it is important to evaluate each country according to the same pattern. This is why results for less populated countries and stricter initial containment measures are put into perspective. Consider, for example, the comparison between the United States and Uzbekistan: although Uzbekistan is far from equalling the United States in terms of the number of coronavirus cases, it has experienced a greater percentage drop for being less populated and having implemented stricter rules aimed at eradicating the virus.
Steps that are based on activity
At a time of pandemic, it was only to be expected that people would move less and that strict containment measures would be imposed. A look at the data proves interesting here.
A proportion of steps taken worldwide are based on activities such as walking, running and hiking. If we consider only the steps resulting from these activities, then we see an opposite trend. On average, steps from recorded activities have increased by 24% worldwide. The probable cause? To compensate for the decline in daily activity, people have fallen back on sport.
Biggest increase in business by country
What sporting activities do Garmin users engage in? And do they vary from country to country? Here's a comparison between April 2020 and April 2019 of the activities with the biggest increase in different countries.
Although Australians and Canadians don't necessarily see eye to eye on cricket and hockey, one thing they do agree on is walking, an activity they enjoyed during confinement.
In China, Mexico, South Africa and many other countries, training on fitness equipment has increased more than other activities; indoor cardio sports account for 50% of fitness training. This compares with over 50% of activity in the same period last year in the strength training category. According to Garmin, this shift suggests a shift in workouts from the gym to the living room.
Finally, let's also consider the large blue areas on the map, which outline a clear global trend towards indoor cycling.
Biggest drop in activity by country
The pandemic has led to an increase in activities and types of sport, some of which have suffered. This is the case for swimming, which in Europe describes a spectacular decline, a global trend, if Garmin's comparison between April 2020 and April 2019 is to be believed. Indeed, the data shows a significant decline in swimming activity from America to the Far East.
But that's not going to stop swimmers taking up the sport. In Australia, for example, data shows that 54% of swimmers in April 2019 this year swapped their swimming costumes for running shoes. 43% of Chinese swimmers in April last year have, this year, taken up running or cycling.
Along with hiking and golf, multi-sport training has also seen the steepest decline, and in several countries. These sportspeople, too, have been looking for alternatives. In South Africa, for example, 20% of last year's golfers turned to home fitness in April 2020. A further 11% have taken up indoor cycling.
What about at home?
In Switzerland, Germany and Austria, clear trends in sport are emerging; these can be linked to the containment measures due to the pandemic. For example, sports such as running, cycling, walking and hiking have shown a strong upward trend. Compared to April 2019, running-related activities have increased by 75% this year.
The frequency of normal cycling activities has even increased by 87%. Indoor cardio training has almost halved due to the closure of gyms and sports facilities, as has swimming in the pool, which hardly appears in the statistics.
The frequency of normal cycling activities has even increased by 87%.
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Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
