Global Report Shows Little Progress in Getting Adolescents Active, Highlights Gender Gap

The WHO study, based on more than 3.2 million adolescents from 389 population‑based surveys, shows that activity levels have barely moved since 2010. In 2025, 86 % of teens reported fewer than seven active days in a week, a share identical to that recorded in 2010. On average, adolescents were active on just 2.7 days per week, and only 14 % managed to be active every day. The analysis also notes that no country is on track to achieve the global target of a 15 % relative reduction in physical inactivity by 2030.

Girls are consistently less active than boys. The report finds that 28 % of girls reported no active days in the previous week, compared with 22 % of boys. Conversely, only 11 % of girls said they were active every day, versus 17 % of boys. This disparity appears in almost every country and WHO region, and the proportion of adolescents with no active days varies widely—from as low as 4 % in some nations to over 40 % in others—underscoring how gendered barriers affect daily movement worldwide.

WHO officials argue that the answer is not simply urging teens to try harder, but reshaping the environments where they live, learn and travel. The organization urges governments to invest in safe schools, walkable streets, and community spaces that make movement easy and normal. It also highlights the need for coordinated action across education, transport, urban planning, sport and health sectors, with special attention to the barriers girls face—such as limited safe walking routes, affordability issues, restrictive social norms, and the rise of screen‑based leisure.