More than half of European Union citizens never or seldom take part in exercise or play sport, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.

The research also revealed that the number of people admitting they never exercise or play sport has increased by three percentage points since a study conducted in 2009, with 42 per cent now stating they never take part.

However, a similar proportion do exercise or play sport at least once a week, with this number up from 41 to 42 per cent between now and the previous study.

The workings of both male and female citizens of the EU has also been revealed by the study.

Overall, it was found that men exercise, play sport or engage in other physical activity more than women, with a particular disparity apparent in the 15-24 age group, where considerably more young men (74 per cent) tend to exercise or play sport on a regular basis than young women (55 per cent).

The survey has also presented intriguing findings about physical activity in different regions of Europe, with the north of the continent being more active than the south.

For example, 70 per cent of respondents in Sweden claimed to exercise or play sport at least once a week, slightly more so than Denmark (68 per cent) and Finland (66 per cent). Yet in the south, 78 per cent of Bulgarians said that they never do so, with 64 per cent and 60 per cent claiming the same in Portugal and Italy.

"The results of the Eurobarometer confirm the need for measures to encourage more people to make sport and physical activity a part of their daily lives," said Androulla Vassiliou, European commissioner responsible for sport.

“This is crucial, not only in terms of an individual's health, wellbeing and integration, but also because of the significant economic costs resulting from physical inactivity."

The Eurobarometer has presented a number of other findings too, including how people perceive the opportunities for sport and physical activity in their areas, with more extensive results available here.