Time spent on free time activities by sex

Definition:
Time use represents the average time spent on an activity per day (hours and minutes per day). All persons are included, whether they have performed this activity or not, and all days of the week, as well as working and holiday periods are included.

Free time includes activities that are not defined in other time use categories. E.g, volunteer work and meetings, helping other households, socializing and entertainment, sports and outdoor activities, hobbies and games, reading, watching TV, resting or doing nothing.
Socializing – includes visiting and receiving visitors, feasts, phone calls and conversation with family or friends, etc.
Reading - includes reading periodicals, brochures, books, etc.
Sports – includes walking and hiking, all kinds of sports (jogging, ball games, water sports, etc.) productive exercises (hunting, fishing, picking berries, etc.) and sport related activities.
Hobbies and games – collecting, correspondence, solo games and play, parlour games and play, gambling, etc. Includes also visual, performing and literary arts.
Volunteer work and help – includes work for/through an organization and informal help to other households.

Note on data format: Data are reported in number of hours, where decimals represent hundredths of an hour (ex: 1.75 should be read 1 hour and 45 minutes; 0.20 should be read 12 minutes).

.. - data not available

Country: Armenia

Data refer to October 2008 and to the population aged 15-80.

Country: Austria

Country: Belgium

2013:
- Primary source: Belgian Time Use Survey 2013 (BTUS13).
- Geographical coverage: The data cover the entire territory of the country, with the exception of the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
- The fieldwork for BTUS13 ran from mid January 2013 until February 2014. This corresponds – with a short delay – to the reference period for the Belgian Labour Force Survey 2013, on which BTUS13 is based to sample and recruit households.
- The BTUS13 sample of households is a subsample of the Belgian Labour Force Survey 2013 sample of households.

Country: Bulgaria

Reference period (2002): Data refer to 2001-2002.

Country: Bulgaria

Reference period (2010): Data refer to 2009-2010.

Country: Canada

Change in definition (1990 - 2010): Data refer to population aged 20 to 74.

Country: Canada

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1992.

Country: Canada

Reference period (1995): Data refer to 1997.

Country: Canada

Territorial change (1990 - 2010): Data cover 10 provinces only.

Country: Denmark

Data covers persons who have been active in the category. Data refer to the population aged 16-74. 1990: data refer to 1987. 2009: data refer to 2008-2009.

Country: Estonia

- Reference period (2021): Data refer to 2019-2021.
- Reference period (2010): Data refer to 2009-2010.
- Reference period (2000): Data refer to 1999-2000.

Country: France

2000: data refer to 1998-1999. 2010: data refer to 2009-2010.
Data cover only Metropolitan France.

Country: Georgia

2021:
- TV and video includes ICATUS codes 842, 843 and 849;
- Socializing includes ICATUS major division 7 (except code 750);
- Reading includes ICATUS code 841;
- Sports includes ICATUS divisions 81 and 83;
- Hobbies and games includes ICATUS division 82;
- Volunteer work and help includes ICATUS major division 5 (except 540);
- Other activities all the other codes from major divisions 5, 7 and 8 (except codes 540, 750 and 860).

Country: Germany

Reference period (2001): Change in definition - Data refer to the population total. Reference period (2012): Data refer to the population aged 20-74.

Country: Germany

Reference period (2001): Data refer to the period from April 2001 to March 2002

Country: Greece

Computing is not included in hobbies and games. Participatory activities are not included in volunteer work and help. Other activites - include participatory activities, entertainment and culture, resting - time out, computing, radio and recordings. All persons are included.

Country: Hungary

2000: data refer to 1999-2000. 2010: data refer to 2009-2010.

Country: Italy

2002: data refer to 2002-2003; 2008: data refer to 2008-2009; 2014: data refer to 2013-2014. Data refer to population aged 20-74. For all years activities are coded according to the last Harmonized European Time Use Survey Guidelines (HETUS 2008).

Country: Kazakhstan

Additional information (2003): The structure of time use within 7 days (man / hours per week). Data refer to the age group 16 years and older.

Country: Kazakhstan

Additional information (2006): The structure of time use within 7 days (man / hours per week). Data refer to the age group 18 years and older.

Country: Kazakhstan

Additional information (2012, 2018): The survey was conducted over two days (1 working day, 1 day off - man / hours per week). Data refer to the age group 10 years and older.

Country: Luxembourg

Data refer to the population aged 10-74.
`TV and video` category includes listening radio and music. `Hobbies and games` include culture, entertainments and excursions. `Other activities` refer to `to do nothing`.

Country: Netherlands

Break in methodlogy (2006): Data is collected according to the Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS) replacing the original Dutch Time Use Survey.

Country: North Macedonia

Reference period (2014): Time Use Survey was carried out over a period of 12 months, from May 2014 until April 2015.

Country: Norway

2010: data refer to 2010-2011.

Country: Poland

2004: data refer to 2003-2004. 2013: ''Hobbies and games'' includes also computing and Internet (not measured in 2003/2004 survey).

Country: Romania

Reference period (2000): Data refer to August and September 2000.

Country: Romania

Reference period (2011 - 2012): Statistical survey on time use (TUS), carried out in households during september 2011 - september 2012

Country: Serbia

Data do not cover Kosovo and Metohija. 2010 data refer to 2010-2011.

Country: Spain

2003: data refer to 2002-2003.

Country: Sweden

Change in definition (2000 - 2010): Data refer to the population aged 20-64.

Country: Sweden

Reference period (2010): Data refer to April 2010-March 2011

Country: Switzerland

- Break in methodology (2010): Since 2010, the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) is conducted on a continuous basis over the whole year. From 1991 to 2009 the SLFS was conducted in the 2nd quarter of the year. Therefore values before 2010 refer to the 2nd quarter whereas values from 2010 onwards refer to annual averages.
- - The questions on informal volunteering were revised in 2016. Respondents may support several people from other households with different informal help. Before 2016, only the total time invested for all assistance was surveyed. As of 2016, the time spent on each assisted person is asked for individually.
- 1995: data refer to 1997.

Country: Turkiye

For 2006 the data refer to persons aged 15+. For 2015, the results are for the age of 20-74. For data on domestic work, other activities include the following as per HETUS-08 code: 30-Unspecified household and family care, 37-Household management. For data on free time, the activities correspond the following as per HETUS-08 codes: TV and video 82 (Tv, video and DVD), Socializing 51 (Social life), Reading 81 (Reading), Sports 6 (Sports and outdoor activities), Hobbies and games 71-73 (71: Arts and hobbies, 73: Games), Volunteer work and help 41-42 ( 41: Organisational Work, 42: Informal help to other households), Other activities (43-52-53-72-83: Participatory activities, Entertainment and culture, Resting-Time out, Computing, Radio and recordings).

Country: United Kingdom

-Data for 2020 and 2021 are for Great Britain and do not include Northern Ireland.
-Data for 2020 and 2021 were collected primarily online (Source: Online Time-Use Survey (OTUS)) and are therefore not directly comparable with previous surveys.
- Reference period (2015): UK Time Use Survey 2014-2015.
- Reference period (2005): UK Time Use Survey 2005. Light diary instrument used in this survey and therefore not fully comparable to the fully Harmonised European Time Use Survey (HETUS) compliant surveys from 2000-2001 and 2014-2015.
- Reference period (2000): UK Time Use Survey 2000-2001.