The numbers
Of young people between the ages of 13 and 18, 78 percent played sports monthly in 2019. In 2020, this dropped to 68 percent and in 2021 it fell further to 65 percent, according to figures from NOC*NSF. Economic headwinds and the corona crisis, among other things, mean that sports subscriptions are being canceled more often.
According to research by the Mulier Institute, the sports participation of Dutch people has hardly changed since 2012, but a week earlier the RIVM reported that Dutch people have actually started exercising a lot less. Less than half of Dutch people exercise enough, according to the National Institute. Young people, young adults and highly educated people in particular spend a lot of time sitting on chairs. According to the RIVM, only 44 percent of Dutch people exercised sufficiently last year.