According to the WHO, one in four young people barely moves

WHO report One in four young people hardly moves as of: November 4th, 2026 • 5:37 p.m

Sport and exercise are no longer part of everyday life for many children and young people. According to the WHO, only 14 percent exercise moderately to intensively for an hour every day. In Germany, too, there are many people who are reluctant to exercise.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), many children and young people do not exercise enough. According to a report by the UN organization, 25 percent of 11 to 17-year-olds do not do any sports or activities that require at least some strain on the cardiovascular system. “You are missing out on the benefits of adequate, regular physical activity,” says the WHO. Only 14 percent of people in this age group say they do at least one hour of moderate to intensive physical activity every day.

The WHO sees reasons for the lack of exercise among young people, for example, in pressure to perform at school, the intensive use of digital media and the lack of sports facilities.

The report is based on surveys in 140 countries with a total of more than three million participants. One limitation that must be taken into account is that the assessment of what is perceived as moderate or intensive physical activity can vary depending on the region or culture.

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According to the survey, girls are less active than boys in almost all countries. Overall, in 2025, more than a quarter of girls (28 percent) said they had not been physically active on any day in the previous week - among boys this was the case for around one in five (22 percent). Girls were also less likely to report being physically active on a daily basis. "This trend is worrying because adolescence represents a crucial period for the establishment of lifelong health behaviors," said the WHO.

According to the report, there are particularly many sporty 11 to 17 year olds in Canada, Finland and Kazakhstan, for example. There are particularly few active young people in Namibia and Zimbabwe. Germany does not stand out for its particularly sporty or particularly unathletic young people.

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According to an expert, there is a lot of potential in Germany to motivate children and young people to exercise more. "We weren't born loath to exercise, but as we get older we forget how to move," said Malte Bödeker, an expert in child and adolescent health at the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG).

A supportive environment includes school routes that encourage people to walk on foot, Bödeker told the dpa news agency. “But getting off the bus or tram one stop before your destination is also helpful.” Frequently covering short distances with e-scooters prevents the body from getting going.

There is little point in simply pointing out to children and young people the long-term negative consequences of too little exercise, said Bödecker. "That's too far away." Fortunately, there is a new sensitivity in this group to treat the body with care. One message could be that exercise - even climbing stairs - is also good for the soul.

With information from Sandra Biegger, ARD Studio Geneva

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | According to the WHO, many young people do not exercise enough November 4, 2026 | 5:01 p.m