Around one in three Australians (29%) play sport or exercise twice a week or more, according to figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The most popular sport or physical recreation activities during 2005-06 were walking (25%), aerobics (13%), swimming (9%) and cycling (6%).

Nearly half of us - some 10 million people - exercise or play sport at least once a month, with more than half (54%) reporting 'health and fitness' as their main reason for exercising. This was followed by enjoyment (22%), well-being (7%) and social or family reasons (7%).

'Insufficient time due to work or study' was the most common reason (22%) for not exercising or exercising infrequently. Another common reason given was 'insufficient time due to family reasons', mentioned by 14% of females and 5% of males.

Males were more likely to report they had insufficient time to exercise due to work (27%), while females were more likely to report they were not interested in exercising (19%).

Almost two-thirds (66%) of males and females participated in sports and physical recreation activities least once in the survey period. More females (32%) than males (27%) were involved in at least twice-weekly sport or exercise.

The ACT had the highest participation rate (80%), followed by Western Australia (71%), and Queensland (67%).