One in four adolescents globally is not getting at least an hour of physical activity on any day of the week, according to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Professor Fiona Bull, from The University of Western Australia's School of Human Sciences and currently Lead of Physical Activity at WHO, was a lead author of the paper published in Lancet Global Health, which found physical activity among adolescents had not improved in the past 15 years.
"What the data revealed was not a crisis that has suddenly appeared, it's a problem that has persisted for at least 15 years," Professor Bull said.
"Despite greater awareness of the importance of physical activity for good health and protection from chronic disease, global progress has largely stalled.
"Enabling young people to develop active habits early in life is critical to protecting their health, now and in the future, and for the next generation."
The study drew on 389 population-based surveys from 140 countries and territories, involving more than 3.2 million adolescents.
On average, adolescents reported being active for just 2.7 days a week, while only 14 per cent reported being active on all seven days.
"We estimate about 240 million young people aged 11–17 years around the world are not active for at least 60 minutes on any day in the previous week," Professor Bull said.
"The results also point to a lack of global progress over the past 15 years, with levels of physical activity among adolescents remaining virtually unchanged during this time."
The gender gap in physical activity levels remained persistent over time, with 28 per cent of girls reporting no active days, compared with 22 per cent of boys in 2025. Only 11 per cent of girls reported being active every day, compared with 17 per cent of boys.
There were also big differences between countries with some reporting four per cent of adolescents had non-active days while in others the figure exceeded 40 per cent.
Transport patterns, access to safe public spaces, opportunities for safe walking and cycling, school environments, affordability, social norms and increasingly screen-based lifestyles influenced adolescents' opportunities to be active.
WHO is calling for stronger action across the education, transport, urban planning, sport and health sectors, alongside efforts to address the multiple barriers faced by girls.
"Countries need policies that make physical activity an easy, safe and accessible part of everyday life," Professor Bull said.
"Promoting physical activity in schools, investing in safe walking and cycling routes, and creating more active communities can give young people more opportunities to move, play and be active in their everyday lives."
