One in four adolescents worldwide reported having no days with at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during the previous week, according to new global estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO). This represents approximately 240 million young people aged 11 to 17 who are failing to meet recommended exercise levels, a situation that has remained virtually unchanged since 2010.
Persistent Global Inactivity Trends
The findings, published in The Lancet Global Health, draw on 389 population-based surveys from 140 countries and territories, involving more than 3.2 million adolescents. On average, young people reported being active for only 2.7 days per week, while just 14 per cent achieved the recommended 60 minutes of movement on all seven days. This data covers 59% of the global adolescent population, providing an evidence base for governments and schools.
Current data shows that not a single nation is on course to achieve the global goal of a 15 per cent relative reduction in physical inactivity by 2030. The WHO noted that physical inactivity acts as a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Addressing this is deemed critical for protecting long-term health and reducing the global burden of non-communicable diseases, which account for 75% of deaths worldwide.
The Gender Gap in Physical Activity
Persistent disparities exist across genders, with girls consistently reporting lower activity levels than boys. According to the study, 28 per cent of girls reported having no active days in a week, compared to 22 per cent of boys. Only 11 per cent of girls reported being active every day, whereas 17 per cent of boys reached that threshold. Girls were less active than boys in almost every country and every WHO region.
For 15 years, the world has made almost no progress in getting young people moving, and girls are being left furthest behind.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Regional differences also remain significant. While wealthier regions—such as High-Income Western nations, East Asia and the Pacific, and Central and Eastern Europe—averaged four active days per week with 6.9% to 7.7% of adolescents reporting no activity, lower- and middle-income regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East averaged closer to two active days. In some countries, the percentage of adolescents reporting no active days exceeded 40%.
Build Schools Streets and Communities for Active Adolescents
Experts suggest that the lack of progress is tied to structural factors rather than individual motivation. Factors such as access to safe public spaces, the availability of walking and cycling routes, and the influence of school environments and social norms dictate whether adolescents have the opportunity to be active. Research also indicates that maintaining regular activity becomes more difficult during adolescence, as 11-year-olds report higher activity averages than 17-year-olds.
The answer is not to tell adolescents to try harder. It is to build schools, streets and communities where moving, playing and being active is safe, easy and normal.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Reacting to these findings, 84 sporting goods companies and federations have endorsed an open letter organized by the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI). Industry leaders, including Vanessa Garcia-Brito, VP and Chief Impact Officer at NIKE, Inc., and Gary Raucher, global head of marketing and executive board member at Asics, have highlighted the lack of physical activity among young people, with Raucher noting that modern life is quietly designing movement out of daily life. Signatories have committed to strengthening initiatives that increase youth participation, share evidence-based solutions, and advocate for policies that make physical activity more accessible.
Most UK Adolescents Fall Short of Daily Exercise
In the United Kingdom, only 17 per cent of adolescents are active every day. UK-specific data indicates that 13 per cent of teenage girls and 21 per cent of boys meet the daily threshold. Dr Tessa Strain, the study’s lead author from the University of Edinburgh, noted that while UK teens show activity levels comparable to their European peers, most still fall short of the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise. Professor Seth Flaxman of the University of Oxford and RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, who led the statistical modelling, emphasized that too many teens globally and in the UK are not active enough.
Dr Luiza Ricardo, Lecturer in Physical Activity and Public Health at Loughborough University, who provided consultancy support for the WHO estimates, stated that global surveillance is essential to understanding progress over time.
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