WHO: one in four adolescents, about 240 million, had no active day in 2025

Global picture

The World Health Organization says one in four adolescents worldwide did not complete at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on any day of the survey week. That share equals about 240 million young people aged 11 to 17. The findings come from a study published in The Lancet Global Health, which draws on 389 surveys in 140 countries and territories and more than 3.2 million participants. Only 14% of adolescents said they were active on all seven days, and the average was 2.7 active days per week. Figures for the average vary between accounts, with one giving 2.4 days instead of 2.7.

No active day in survey week24.9%

Active all seven days14%

No active day in survey week

24.9 %

Active all seven days

14 %

Data from the article text

No progress in 15 years

WHO officials say the global picture has barely moved since 2010, with no real progress over the past 15 years. At a press conference, Etienne Krug, the director of the organisation's department for health determinants, said progress had stagnated and the world was far from the 2030 physical activity target. The WHO notes that inactivity is a risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Krug said physical activity covers everyday behaviour such as walking and cycling, which means making those journeys safer for teenagers. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the answer is not to tell adolescents to do more sport, but to make schools, streets and neighbourhoods places where moving and playing feel safe, easy and normal.

Girls lag behind boys

The WHO says girls were less active than boys in almost every country analysed. In 2025, 28% of girls reported no active day in the survey week, against 22% of boys. Only 11% of girls said they were active every day, compared with 17% of boys. The gap appeared in nearly all countries in the study. The WHO attributes it to unequal opportunities and persistent social, cultural and environmental barriers, rather than to differences in interest or ability.

Girls, no active day28%

Boys, no active day22%

Girls, active every day11%

Boys, active every day17%

Girls, no active day

28 %

Boys, no active day

22 %

Girls, active every day

11 %

Boys, active every day

17 %

Data from the article text

Wide gaps between countries

The share of adolescents with no active day in the survey week ranges from 4% in some countries to more than 40% in others. In Namibia, Nepal and the Philippines, 40% of adolescents reported no active day. In Serbia and Bangladesh, more than 30% said they were active every day. Tedros said the solution lies in building safe schools, streets and neighbourhoods, rather than urging teenagers to exercise more.

Reaction in Germany and Belgium

In Germany, Malte Bödeker, an expert in child and adolescent health at the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG), told the German Press Agency that the situation there is not much different.

“We are not born couch potatoes, but as we get older we unlearn how to move.”

He said walking to school and getting off a bus or tram one stop early both help, while warnings about long-term consequences feel too distant for young people. Bödeker also said frequent short trips on electric scooters keep the body from getting moving. In Belgium, a Sciensano survey published in January 2025 found that children and adolescents move less than WHO recommends, and that activity among 10 to 17 year-olds is around 10% lower than a decade earlier. The same survey found that 81% of 10 to 17 year-olds spend more than the recommended two hours a day on screens.