Nearly a third, 31 per cent, of all adults worldwide are physically inactive, according to a new report from the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Around 1.8 billion people did not meet the recommended levels of physical activity in 2022, according to the report, which was published in the scientific journal The Lancet.
As a result, the risk of heart and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer increases, according to WHO.
WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity, per week.
Since 2010, the proportion of those who exercise less than recommended has increased by five percentage points. If the trend continues, the levels of physical inactivity are expected to reach 35 per cent by 2030.
"We must renew our commitments to increase levels of physical activity and prioritise bold measures, including strengthened policy and increased funding, to reverse this alarming trend," says WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a press release.
