Friday, 29 March 2024
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Strava report shows 82% increase in outdoor activity

Strava has launched its annual Year in Sport report, revealing the 2020 activity trends from a community of over 73 million global athletes.

Data showed that the UK came out on top as the world’s most active nation – with an increase of 82% in outdoors activity. Compared to the likes of Germany (45% increase) and the US (28% increase), Britain saw the most dramatic increase in outdoors activity during lockdown.

UK cyclists covered total distance of 1.5 billion km in 2020. The average distance per ride was 20.2 km and the average duration 01:00:36.

Additionally, women dominated the activity boom with an overall increase in activities of 69% across all age groups. In particular, the 18-29 age group saw the biggest increase of 108% in activities, while the 60+ age group saw a 62.8% increase.

Key findings from the report also included:

  • All sport types saw a year on year increase, including the most popular such as running (1.9x), cycling (1.8x) and hiking (1.9x)
  • Walking led the way as the activity with the greatest YoY increase (3.0x), and became a popular addition for runners and cyclists

Michael Horvath, CEO and co-founder of Strava, said: “During a challenging year, it has been a privilege to connect athletes to what motivates them and help them find their personal best. Community members shared more than a billion activities including nearly 400 million photos with each other, from solitary virtual marathons and Everesting bike rides to midday walks while working from home. And through it all, athletes from around the world cheered each other on, proving that every effort counts and people keep people active.”

In the UK alone, there are now 13.5  million athletes on Strava, equivalent to 13% of the entire adult population. The platform globally records 21.5 million uploads per week, and has 2 million new athletes joining each month.