1 in 4 adolescents not active for even an hour a day: Lancet study

One in four adolescents worldwide does not get at least 60 minutes of physical activity on any day of the week, with girls significantly less active than boys, according to a new global study that highlights concerns about the physical and mental health of young people.

In 2025, around 240 million adolescents, or 24.9% of those aged 11-17, reported no active days in a week, while overall physical activity levels have remained largely unchanged over the past 15 years, according to the study published in The Lancet Global Health.

“The finding that 24.9% of adolescents report no active days highlights a crucial and often overlooked dimension of adolescent health. Addressing this challenge will require more targeted, context-specific approaches that prioritise those who are least active, alongside population-wide action to address the social, cultural, and environmental barriers to participation, particularly among girls,” the authors said.

An active day is defined as at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This includes activities that raise the heart rate or breathing rate, such as sports, exercise, walking or cycling to school, and other physical activities during leisure time.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended in 2020 that adolescents get an average of 60 minutes of MVPA every day. In 2018, WHO member states had also adopted a global target of reducing physical inactivity among adolescents by 15% by 2030, compared with 2010 levels.

The study pooled analysis of 389 surveys with 3.2 million participants from 140 countries, updated global estimates of adolescent physical activity and assessed progress towards the 2030 target.

It analysed data from 389 surveys covering 3.2 million adolescents aged 11-17 across 140 countries, representing 59% of the global adolescent population. The researchers assessed the number of active days per week and average activity levels by sex, age, country and year. Separate models were fitted for boys and girls.

“In 2025, adolescents worldwide averaged just 2.7 active days per week, with only 14% active every day. The percentage reporting fewer than seven active days per week has not changed since 2010, and no country is on track to meet the 2030 global target,” the study said.

Girls were found to be less active than boys across all regions. Around 28% of girls reported no active days in a week, compared with 22% of boys. Only 11% of girls were physically active every day, against 17% of boys. Girls also averaged fewer active days per week than boys — 2.4 compared with 3.

The study found that most low- and middle-income regions had a higher proportion of adolescents reporting no physical activity and lower average activity levels. In contrast, high-income western, central and eastern Europe and Central Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific had fewer adolescents reporting zero to two active days, more reporting three or more active days, and small improvements over time.

The authors said physical activity during adolescence can improve both present and future physical and mental health, while reducing the risk of long-term illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. They called for governments to step up efforts through policies suited to local needs, while ensuring that interventions reach all adolescents, particularly those who are least active.

“For example, by making everyday places, such as schools and neighbourhoods, better for being active. There is a need for gender-responsive programmes that tackle the systemic barriers behind girls’ lower activity, including restrictive gender norms, safety concerns and a lack of suitable activities,” they said.

“While improved measurement can strengthen data systems and support more targeted policy approaches, the primary challenge remains translating known solutions into equitable and sustained action effectively implemented at scale. Without this progress, global physical activity targets—and the broader goal of improving adolescent health—will remain out of reach,” they added.

The estimates from the study will be adopted as official WHO statistics upon publication, the authors said.