One in four teenagers worldwide not getting an active hour on any day, says WHO

One in four teenagers around the world did not manage a single day of an hour's physical activity in the previous week, according to new figures from the World Health Organization, which says the answer is to make moving easy, safe and normal rather than telling young people to try harder.

The WHO report, A generation missing out: Global trends in adolescent physical activity, 2010-2025, was published on Wednesday 4 November. It draws on 389 surveys from 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million young people aged 11 to 17.

The headline figures

Around 240 million adolescents reported not doing at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity on any day in the previous week. On average, young people were active on just 2.7 days a week, and only 14% were active on all seven days.

Levels of activity have barely changed since 2010, and no country is on track to meet the global target of a 15% relative reduction in inactivity by 2030.

Girls are being left behind

The gap between girls and boys is persistent. Some 28% of girls reported no active days, compared with 22% of boys, and only 11% of girls were active every day, compared with 17% of boys. Girls were less active than boys in almost every country.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "For 15 years, the world has made almost no progress in getting young people moving, and girls are being left furthest behind."

Make it easy to move

The WHO says there is no single explanation, pointing to transport patterns, access to safe public spaces, opportunities for safe walking and cycling, school environments, cost, social norms and increasingly screen-based lifestyles.

Dr Tedros said: "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."

The organisation is calling for action across education, transport, urban planning, sport and health, including promoting activity in schools and investing in safe walking and cycling routes.

Why it matters

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, so habits formed in the teenage years can last a lifetime.

UK guidance says children and young people should aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a day across the week. That does not have to mean organised sport: walking or cycling to school, dancing, skating, swimming or a kickabout in the park all count.

Birmingham has plenty of places to get moving, from its parks, canal towpaths and leisure centres to the cycle routes that lead out of the city centre. For parents, the WHO's message is a hopeful one: small changes to everyday routines, like walking part of the school run, can make a real difference.