WHO Flags Inactive Teens Across 140 Nations
A new WHO-backed analysis finds about 240 million adolescents reported no physical activity on any day last week.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Children’s Health
Live Poll
Should your community invest more in safe places for young people to be active?
The World Health Organization reported that about 240 million adolescents worldwide had no physical activity on any day last week. Global adolescent activity levels have remained virtually unchanged over the past 15 years.
Why it matters
The findings point to a long-standing gap in youth movement that persists across regions and income levels, with inactivity varying sharply between countries. Because regular activity is tied to health in adolescence, the stagnant trend signals that current efforts have not shifted behavior at the global level.
The estimates draw on 389 population-based surveys covering more than 3.2 million adolescents in 140 countries and territories, showing inactivity ranging from four per cent in some countries to over 40 per cent in others. The surveys do not explain the reasons for the variation between nations.
The players
World Health Organization
The United Nations agency responsible for international public health, which issued the statement on adolescent inactivity.
The Lancet Global Health
A peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier that carries research on global health issues.
The details
Adolescents were physically active on an average of 2.7 days a week, and only 14 per cent exercised every day. The findings were published in The Lancet Global Health.
Timeline
Over the past 15 years, global adolescent activity levels remained virtually unchanged.
Last week, about 240 million adolescents reported no physical activity.
The WHO issued its statement on adolescent physical inactivity on Wednesday.
Health Landscape
The WHO survey-based estimates are the reference for tracking adolescent activity over time, and the new 140-country analysis confirms that the trend has held roughly flat across that period. The result leaves no sign that broad global efforts have yet moved the population-level figure.
Parents and caregivers can track how many days a week adolescents are active, since the survey results treat fewer than 60 minutes of daily movement as a shortfall. Gaps between girls and boys suggest that encouragement may need to differ by sex.
The takeaway
Adolescents who reach 60 minutes of daily movement are meeting the level the survey uses as its benchmark, so tracking daily minutes offers a simple measure. The flat global trend suggests that simply raising awareness has not been enough on its own.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Children’s Health on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Peoples Gazette Nigeria.
Live Poll
Should your community invest more in safe places for young people to be active?
