Fitbit data reveals fittest countries and U.S. cities

This post was originally published on the Fitbit press site. It has been adapted from its original format.

Fitbit, the leader in connected health and fitness wearables, for the first time identified its list of Fittest Countries, as well as the Fittest Cities in the United States. As the clear wearable of choice for consumers worldwide with more than 63 million devices sold and 50 million registered device users across 65 countries, the Fitbit platform offers a way to uniquely quantify global trends in health and behavior. Fitbit analysis revealed Ireland as the Fittest Country, with the United States ranking 28th. In the United States, Duluth, Minn., Appleton, Wis., Eau Claire, Wis., Boulder, Colo. and Bellingham, Wash. rank as the top five Fittest Cities.

The 2017 Fitbit Fittest Countries analysis is based on aggregated and anonymous 2016 data from 23.2 million Fitbit users across the globe. The analysis is a representative sample of 2016 data from more than 10 million users in the United States and more than 10 thousand users in each international country. As part of this analysis, Fitbit averaged and ranked the following data metrics: daily steps, daily active minutes, daily Reminders to Move goals met, duration of sleep per night, and resting heart rate.

In addition to tracking your daily health and fitness metrics, the Fitbit platform connects users across all global mobile platforms (Android, iOS and Windows), creating an engaging, global community across one of the largest social fitness networks.

“We are more than just hardware. Our software and services offerings help inspire, coach and guide users to reach their goals in more personalized and powerful ways,” said Shelten Yuen, Vice President of Research at Fitbit. “The network effect of our global community of millions of users gives us an incredibly strong competitive advantage because it provides our users with the support and motivation they need to reach their goals whether that means eating healthier, moving more or sleeping better.”

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 are:

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 include:

• 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 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 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 are:

1. Duluth, Minn.
2. Appleton, Wis.
3. Eau Claire, Wis.
4. Boulder, Colo.
5. Bellingham, Wash.
6. Madison, Wis.
7. Billings, Mont.
8. Rochester, Minn.
9. Spokane, Wash.
10. Eugene, Ore.
11. Green Bay, Wis.
12. Denver, Colo.
13. Portland, Ore.
14. Sioux Falls, S.D.
15. Lincoln, Neb.
16. Syracuse, N.Y.
17. Rochester, N.Y.
18. Grand Rapids, Mich.
19. Janesville, Wis.
20. Minneapolis, Minn.
21. Boise, Idaho
22. Albany, N.Y.
23. Milwaukee, Wis.
24. Washington, Va.
25. Stamford, Conn.
26. Reno, Nev.
27. West Chester, Pa.
28. Crystal Lake, Ill.
29. New Hudson, Mich.
30. Columbia, Mo.

The Fitbit platform includes apps, social and motivational features, advice and personalized coaching that are connected via the Fitbit app. With a global community of engagement and support, Fitbit helps people make behavioral changes to be more active, exercise more, eat smarter, track their sleep and manage their weight, helping change the lives of millions of people. In fact, Fitbit has seen that having support from friends, family and coworkers increases activity: users who have one or more friends in the Fitbit network take 700 more steps per day on average than users without friends on the platform, and those who participate in Fitbit Challenges or Adventures take 2,000 more steps per day – about an extra mile of walking per week.

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