Over 1.8 billion people worldwide are physically unhealthy, study reveals worrying trend
A recent Lancet study revealed an alarming rise in global inactivity rates, highlighting the urgent need to increase physical activity to combat serious health risks.
According to a new study from The Lancet, around 1.8 billion people worldwide are physically unhealthy.
Data shows that nearly one-third of the world’s population, around 31% of adults, fail to meet the WHO recommended physical activity levels in 2022.
This highlights a worrying increase in physical inactivity among adults, as the trend is expected to rise to 35% by 2030.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week.
Inactivity increases the risk of serious noncommunicable health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers.
“These findings highlight a missed opportunity to reduce rates of cancer and heart disease, and improve mental health through more physical activity,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We must recommit to increasing physical activity levels through stronger policies and more funding.”
The highest inactivity rates were found in the high-income Asia Pacific region, at about 48%, and in South Asia, at about 45%.
Inactivity levels in other regions ranged from 28% in high-income Western countries to 14% in Oceania.
According to World Health Organization researchers, however, disparities remain between genders and age groups.
Globally, inactivity is more common among women (34%) than men (29%), and in some countries the gap is as large as 20 percentage points.
People over the age of 60 are less active, highlighting the need to promote physical activity for older adults.
“Physical inactivity is a silent threat to global health, contributing significantly to chronic diseases,” said Dr. Rüdiger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization.
“By making physical activity accessible, affordable and enjoyable to all, we can reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases and build a healthier, more productive population,” said Dr. Krech.
Despite the worrying results, there are signs of progress in some countries.
Nearly half of the world’s countries have made some improvement over the past decade, and 22 countries are on track to reduce inactivity by 15% by 2030 if current trends continue.
