Although data shows that the Maltese are engaging in more physical activity, they still rely heavily on the car for basic commutes instead of walking.
Dr Mariella Borg Buontempo
The share of people in Malta who exercise regularly rose from 32% in 2022 to 48% in 2026. Malta remains heavily car-dependent: 84% of trips in the last national travel survey were by private vehicle and about 7% on foot, and Maltese respondents walk to get around less often than the EU average.How we reached this verdict ↓
Analysis and evaluation
Both halves of the claim hold. Regular exercise in Malta has risen sharply since 2022, while everyday travel remains dominated by the car.
More people exercise regularly
In the 2026 Special Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity, 48% of Maltese respondents said they exercise or play sport at least several times a week: 14% almost daily and 34% several times a week. In 2022 the figure was 32%. Across the EU the share rose from 38% to 47%.
The picture is not one of improvement everywhere. The share of Maltese who never exercise or play sport went up, from 31% in 2022 to 35% in 2026, while across the EU it fell from 45% to 39%. More people exercise regularly, but fewer are in the middle group who exercise occasionally. And 26% of Maltese respondents sit for eight and a half hours or more a day, more than double the EU's 12%, the highest share in the EU.
The car still dominates everyday travel
Malta's National Household Travel Survey found that 84% of trips in 2021 were made by private vehicle and only about 7% on foot, even though Transport Malta notes that almost half of all trips stay within the same region. The National Transport Master Plan and later policy documents still identify car dependence, and the difficulty of walking and cycling short distances, as problems to fix.
The 2026 Eurobarometer's headline finding was a jump in active commuting, walking or cycling to get somewhere, which rose 13 points across the EU to 37%. The nearest Malta-specific figure points the other way from the EU: 67% of Maltese respondents walk for at least ten minutes on four to seven days a week, against 72% across the EU. Fewer Maltese do any kind of everyday activity outside sport, 60% against 71%.
Evaluation
What was said holds. More people in Malta exercise regularly than four years ago, and the car remains the default for getting around, with walking for transport below the EU average. Deliberate exercise and everyday activity are moving separately, which is the distinction the speaker drew.
Editorial note
How we assessed this claim
We treated the statement as two claims: whether physical activity in Malta has increased, and whether everyday travel still relies on the car rather than walking. We used the 2022 and 2026 Special Eurobarometer surveys for exercise and the National Household Travel Survey for travel.
Both halves hold, so the claim is rated True. The rise in regular exercise is large. The share who never exercise also rose slightly, which does not overturn the trend the speaker described but is shown in full in the analysis.
Limitations
- The Eurobarometer asks people about exercise and other activity; the travel survey records how journeys are made. They measure different behaviour.
- The latest detailed travel survey dates from 2021. Later transport policy documents still describe Malta as heavily car-dependent, but a new survey would be needed to confirm the current split.
- The 2026 Eurobarometer's Malta sample was 505 people, so small changes between waves can fall within the margin of error.
- The European Commission's summary reports a rise in active commuting across the EU. We did not find Malta's figure for that question in the published summaries; the walking figure used here is the nearest Malta-specific measure.
Sources
- European Commission, Strong increase in active commuting and some positive changes in sport and exercise habits, latest Special Eurobarometer shows (22 September 2026)
- Lovin Malta, Over 1 in 4 Maltese spend at least 8.5 hours sitting every day, double the EU average (2026), reporting Malta results from the 2026 Special Eurobarometer
- The Malta Independent, Malta results from the 2022 Special Eurobarometer on sport (19 September 2022)
- MaltaToday, Cars are king of the road with 84% of commuters using their private vehicle for daily trips, on the National Household Travel Survey 2021
- National Statistics Office and Transport Malta, National Household Travel Survey 2021 (published 17 October 2022)
- Transport Malta, National Transport Master Plan 2030