Global youth physical activity barely changed between 2010 and 2025, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released November 4, 2026. One in four people aged 11–17 reported no days with at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity in the previous week.
That amounts to about 240 million young people, WHO said. But the finding does not mean they did no exercise: it means they never reached the survey’s one-hour threshold.
What the youth physical activity study measured
The WHO report combines 389 population-based surveys from 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million teens. Researchers used statistical models to compare countries and years. These are survey-based estimates, rather than a count from fitness trackers.
Oxford University, whose researchers helped analyze the data, said the study appeared in the journal The Lancet Global Health. Participants recalled how many of the previous seven days included at least an hour of activity that made them breathe harder.
WHO estimated an average of 2.7 such days per week worldwide. Only 14% reported reaching the threshold on all seven days in 2025. Its report says the share reporting fewer than seven active days remained 86% from 2010 to 2025.
Girls reported fewer active days
WHO found lower activity among girls than boys in almost every country. The chart shows the gap at both ends of the weekly range, rather than treating all teens below the daily threshold as equally inactive.
Reported active days among adolescents worldwide, 2025
Source: WHO, A generation missing out
Girls were more likely to report no active days and less likely to report seven active days. An active day means at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity.
| Group | No active days | Seven active days |
|---|---|---|
| Girls | 28% | 11% |
| Boys | 22% | 17% |
The UK also showed a gap, according to Oxford’s account of the study. For example, 21% of UK boys reported seven active days, compared with 13% of girls. Average active days fell from 4.6 among 11-year-olds to 3.6 among 17-year-olds.
Safer spaces and better measurement
WHO says transport, school routines, cost, social norms and access to safe public spaces can shape youth physical activity. It calls for action across education, transport, planning, sport and health, including safer walking and cycling routes.
The agency’s physical activity guidance says that all movement counts and some activity is better than none. It links regular activity in young people with better fitness, bone health, mental health and cognitive outcomes.
The report also cautions that many survey tools predate WHO’s 2020 guidelines and cannot directly track the current recommendations. WHO calls for better monitoring, including work on wearable devices, and says no country is on course to meet its 2030 inactivity-reduction target.
Sources: WHO report, WHO announcement, Oxford University, WHO guidance
