The world has made almost no progress in getting young people moving, according to new global estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The report, A generation missing out: Global trends in adolescent physical activity, 2010-2025, finds that one in four adolescents did not manage a single day of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the week before they were surveyed. UN News reported the findings.

Only 14 percent of adolescents were active on all seven days, according to the WHO report. That is the clearest sign yet that a problem long known to health experts has barely shifted in fifteen years.

What the numbers show

The estimates draw on 389 population-based surveys in 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million adolescents aged 11 to 17. According to UN News, that works out to around 240 million young people who did no active day at all, and adolescents were active on average on just 2.7 days a week.

Girls are being left furthest behind. UN News reports that 28 percent of girls had no active day, compared with 22 percent of boys, and that girls were less active than boys in almost every country and every WHO region. The gap between places is striking too: in some countries just 4 percent of adolescents reported no active days, while in others the figure was above 40 percent. That range suggests that inactivity is not inevitable, and that some communities are doing much better than others.

Why young people are not moving

There is no single explanation. UN News lists the factors named in the report: transport patterns, access to safe public spaces, safe walking and cycling routes, school environments, cost, social norms and increasingly screen-based lifestyles.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world "has made almost no progress in getting young people moving," and that "the answer is not to tell adolescents to try harder." Instead, he called on governments to "build schools, streets and communities where moving, playing and being active is safe, easy and normal," as quoted by UN News.

What still needs to be done

The picture is sobering. No country is on track to meet the global target of a 15 percent relative cut in physical inactivity by 2030, and without faster action adolescent inactivity is projected to stay largely unchanged for the rest of the decade. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

The recommendations are practical: stronger cooperation across education, transport, urban planning, sport and health; more physical activity in schools; investment in safe walking and cycling routes; and action to tackle the specific barriers girls face.

Why it matters

Habits formed in the teenage years tend to follow people into adulthood, so a generation that moves less now faces higher risks of chronic disease later. The countries where almost every young person is active show that change is possible, and that safe streets, good schools and fair access to play can make a measurable difference.

Learn more

• UN News: "15 years of 'almost no progress' in getting young people moving: WHO"
• WHO: A generation missing out: Global trends in adolescent physical activity, 2010-2025

Sources: UN News, "15 years of 'almost no progress' in getting young people moving: WHO," 4 November 2026; World Health Organization, "A generation missing out: Global trends in adolescent physical activity, 2010-2025," 4 November 2026.

How you can help

These nonprofits work to get children and young people, especially girls, active and healthy.

• Right To Play uses play and sport-based learning to support children's health, education and wellbeing in communities facing adversity.
• Women's Sports Foundation works to keep girls in sport and physical activity through research, advocacy and grants.
• Plan International works for girls' rights, health and opportunities in communities around the world.