According to Fitbit data, the top three fittest countries were Ireland, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The U.S. ranked 28th. Among U.S. cities, the top five were Duluth, MN; Appleton, WI; Eau Claire, WI; Boulder, CO; and Bellingham, WA.

Writer: Tom Ryan

Fitbit for this first time identified its list of Fittest Countries, as well as the Fittest Cities in the U.S.

Fitbit analysis revealed Ireland as the Fittest Country, with the U.S. ranking 28th. In the U.S., Duluth, MN; Appleton, WI; Eau Claire, WI; Boulder, CO; and Bellingham, WA ranked as the top five Fittest Cities.

Fitbit analyzed aggregated and anonymized data from more than 20 million Fitbit users across the globe to uncover the Fittest Countries ranking. With devices that track and analyze your daily activity, including exercise, heart rate and sleep, Fitbit was able to look at a range of behaviors, examining average daily steps, active minutes, Reminders to Move goals met, resting heart rate and duration of sleep to identify the standings.

The 2017 Fittest Countries

  1. Ireland
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Sweden
  4. Netherlands
  5. Switzerland
  6. Denmark
  7. Spain
  8. Finland
  9. Germany
  10. New Zealand
  11. Austria
  12. Norway
  13. Belgium
  14. Australia
  15. Italy
  16. Czech Republic
  17. Portugal
  18. Japan
  19. Canada
  20. France
  21. Hong Kong
  22. Poland
  23. Chile
  24. Ukraine
  25. Hungary
  26. Israel
  27. Argentina
  28. United States
  29. South Africa
  30. Colombia

Additional Fittest Countries Findings 

  • Spain gets the most steps per day, with an average of 9,023. Other top steppers include Switzerland, Hong Kong, Sweden, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Australia and Japan. The United States ranked 29th with an average of 7,556 steps per day.
  • The top 10 countries clocking the most sleep include the United Kingdom, with an average of 7 hours and 15 minutes per night, followed by the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, France and Germany, in that order. The United States ranked 23rd with an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes per night.
  • Spain, Sweden, Hong Kong, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland and Japan all exceed the World Health Organization recommendations for averaging at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-intense aerobic physical activity per week, with a range of 27.9 to 22.3 active minutes per day. The United States ranked 33rd with an average of 16.5 active minutes per day.
  • The top 10 countries that move the most throughout the day are Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Sweden, in that order. The United States ranked 16th.

In the United States, Fitbit continued its annual look at Fittest Cities, providing a more granular look at fitness across the country.

The 2017 Fittest Cities in America

  1. Duluth, MN
  2. Appleton, WI.
  3. Eau Claire, WI
  4. Boulder, CO
  5. Bellingham, WA
  6. Madison, WI
  7. Billings, MO
  8. Rochester, MN
  9. Spokane, WA
  10. Eugene, OR
  11. Green Bay, WI
  12. Denver, CO
  13. Portland, OR
  14. Sioux Falls, SD
  15. Lincoln, NE
  16. Syracuse, NY
  17. Rochester, NY
  18. Grand Rapids, MI
  19. Janesville, WI
  20. Minneapolis, MI
  21. Boise, ID
  22. Albany, NY
  23. Milwaukee, WI
  24. Washington, VA
  25. Stamford, CT
  26. Reno, NV
  27. West Chester, PA
  28. Crystal Lake, IL
  29. New Hudson, MI
  30. Columbia, MO

Further details can be found on the Fitbit blog about the Fittest Countries and Fittest Cities analysis.

Fitbit has sold more than 63 million devices and has 50 million registered device users across 65 countries.

Photo courtesy Fitbit