Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with improved health outcomes – particularly in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer. WHO recommends eating at least 400 g, or five or more portions, of fruit and vegetables per day. A healthy diet may also reduce the likelihood of being overweight or obese. In 2019, diets low in fruit, vegetables and legumes were responsible for an estimated total of 2.7 million deaths worldwide (IHME, 2020[1]).
On average across 31 OECD countries, 57% of people aged 15 and over consumed vegetables each day in 2021. Countries with the highest rates of vegetable consumption were Korea, New Zealand and the United States, all of which recorded values greater than 90% (Figure 4.9). At the other end of the spectrum, daily vegetable consumption was below 40% in Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Latvia, as well as in accession country Romania. Daily vegetable consumption was higher among women than men in all OECD countries except Mexico. On average across OECD countries, 62% of women consume at least one portion of vegetables per day compared to 52% of men.
While more than one in two adults consume at least one vegetable per day, only one in seven reported consuming the five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day recommended by WHO. Specifically, in 2019, 15% of adults reported eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day on average across 30 OECD countries with comparable data. Countries with the highest proportions of adults reporting consuming five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day were Ireland, the United Kingdom, Korea, Israel and the Netherlands (30% or above). Conversely, the proportion was 5% or less in Türkiye and Slovenia, as well as in accession countries Romania and Bulgaria (Figure 4.10). Women are more likely than men to consume five or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day in all OECD countries except Greece and Korea. The gender gap was widest in Denmark, Finland and Ireland.
Regular physical activity is also important for improving mental and musculoskeletal health and reducing the risk of various non-communicable diseases. WHO recommends that adults perform at least 150 minutes of moderate‑intensity aerobic physical activity, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (or a combination of both) per week, in different settings, and limit the amount of time spent being sedentary.
In 2019, more than one‑third (40%) of adults reported performing at least 150 minutes of non-work-related moderate‑to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week, on average across 32 OECD countries (Figure 4.11). This proportion varied from 10% or less in Türkiye and in accession country Romania to more than 50% in Switzerland, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, England (United Kingdom), Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Japan and New Zealand. A greater proportion of men reported performing at least 150 minutes of weekly physical activity than women in all countries except Denmark, Sweden and Iceland. The gender gap was largest in the Czech Republic, France, Japan, the Slovak Republic and Spain (above 10 percentage points). It is estimated that increasing physical activity levels to the WHO recommendation would reduce the burden of disease and prevent over 10 000 premature deaths annually across European countries (OECD/WHO, 2023[2]).
