Teenagers worldwide aren't getting enough exercise
The WHO said activity has stayed virtually unchanged for 15 years, with only 14% of adolescents active every day and no region on track to meet its target.
- On Wednesday, the World Health Organization released a study finding one in four adolescents worldwide—around 240 million young people—reported no active days per week in 2025, with levels remaining "virtually unchanged" for 15 years.
- Published in The Lancet Global Health, the research analyzed 389 surveys of 3.2 million adolescents aged 11 to 17 across 140 countries, covering 59% of the global adolescent population.
- Globally, boys averaged three active days per week compared to 2.4 for girls in 2025; while 40% of teens in Namibia, Nepal, and the Philippines reported no active days, others showed higher activity levels.
- WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that "physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers," noting that early active habits are critical to health protection.
- The United Nations health agency urged societies to build schools and communities where moving is safe and accessible, though no country is currently on track to meet its 15% inactivity reduction target by 2030.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Observador
Correio da ManhãAbout 25% of young people between the ages of 11 and 17 had no active day, with girls less active than boys in almost all the countries analyzed in the WHO study.
Sports and exercise are no longer part of everyday life for many children and young people. According to the WHO, only 14 percent move moderately to intensely every day for an hour. There are also many movement muffles in Germany.
Globally, adolescents reported exercising on average only 2.7 days per week, and only 14% said they engage in physical activity every day of the week.
One in four adolescents worldwide admit to not doing any physical activity for at least one hour in the past week, the World Health Organization [WHO] revealed today, highlighting a lack of progress on the issue in 15 years. Around 240 million young people aged 11 to 17 did not engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on any day during the past week, according to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO). …
One in four adolescents in the world admits that they did not have any physical activity of at least one hour the previous week, says the WHO on Wednesday, 4 November, noting that there has been no progress in this area for 15 years.
On average, adolescents reported exercise only 2.7 days a week, while only 14% reported physical activity seven days a week.
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