Eurostat, the European Union’s office of statistics, monitors data on virtually everything the Europeans do. If something can be quantified, Eurostat will do so - from financial and economic data to population trends and many others. It gives us regular snapshots of life, and progress, in Europe economically, socially and politically.

The latest statistical report focuses on what might loosely be termed sedentary pursuits. These include attendance at sporting and other social events, such as live concert performances and the ballet, visits to cultural heritage sites and going to the cinema.

In these fields, Malta’s figures do not compare well with others in Europe. Close to 80 per cent of the population failed to attend any sporting events in 2015. Attendance in this tiny island was the fourth lowest in the EU compared to that of other member states. As one might expect, households with children were more likely to attend sports events than those without.

Malta’s figures are disappointing. If the vast majority of Maltese are not attending sports events, it almost certainly indicates that huge numbers are not playing sports either. Judging by what we know about our children’s obesity epidemic, this is almost certainly so.

This is another warning sign for the future health of the country of which educators, health specialists and schools need to take full account and find remedial solutions. The sedentary lifestyle is an epidemic linked directly to physical inactivity. Such an extreme lack of get-up-and-go contributes to higher incidences of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

The data for attendance at other social events also make bleak reading for Malta. Just over 70 per cent of respondents said they had not attended any live performances in the theatre, at concerts, ballet, operas or open-air jazz and other concerts. This compares with 58 per cent in the rest of the EU.

The proportion of the Maltese population visiting cultural heritage sites was even lower, with 74 per cent stating they had not been to a museum, art gallery, archaeological site or historical monument at least once in 2015. In the rest of the EU this stands at 57 per cent.

The one art form where Malta scores well is in trips to the cinema, which was the most popular of the four activities examined by Eurostat: sports events attendance, live performances, visiting cultural sites and the cinema.

The data only provide a snapshot. The high number of Maltese who do not support live performances of the arts and who do not visit cultural heritage sites and museums may partially be explained by people’s choices with regard to disposable income and their priorities of expenditure. The live arts are expensive.

However, they also tell us a lot about our educational system. An interest in the live arts is inculcated at school, fostered by parents and then lasts for a person’s lifetime. This is clearly not happening, though it needs to be.

One of the key objectives of Valletta, European City of Culture 2018 is for “a long-term, culture-led regeneration that would see cultural and creative activity become the most dynamic facets of Valletta’s and Malta’s socio-economic life”. Eurostat’s statistics show that Malta has a long way to go before it will achieve these objectives.

V18 may be coming not a moment too soon.