Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ years (age-standardized estimate) (%) by country

Countries reporting
194
Highest
66.1%
United Arab Emirates
Lowest
2.7%
Malawi
Median
25.4%
Years covered
23
2000–2022
Data points
4,761

What the numbers show

Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ years (age-standardized estimate) (%) is currently reported for 194 countries. The highest value is 66.1% in United Arab Emirates; the lowest is 2.7% in Malawi.

The median across all reporting countries is 25.4%, and the mean is 27.2%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 25.

Over the past decade 102 countries rose and 92 fell. The largest increase was in Uzbekistan (up 70.1%), and the largest decrease in Malawi (down 56.8%).

Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United Arab Emirates 66.1% 2022 up 13.1% rising
2 Kuwait 63.3% 2022 up 1.5% rising
3 Cuba 61.1% 2022 up 26.6% rising
4 Lebanon 58.6% 2022 up 21.6% rising
5 Republic of Korea 58.1% 2022 up 36.4% rising
6 Panama 57.6% 2022 up 21.8% rising
7 Qatar 53.5% 2022 up 7.1% rising
8 Iraq 52.0% 2022 up 10.0% rising
9 Portugal 51.7% 2022 up 8.6% rising
10 Saudi Arabia 51.5% 2022 down 6.4% falling
11 Costa Rica 49.7% 2022 up 7.5% rising
12 India 49.4% 2022 up 36.4% rising
13 Iran, Islamic Republic of 46.3% 2022 up 20.7% rising
14 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 45.7% 2022 up 9.5% rising
15 Pakistan 45.7% 2022 up 26.7% rising
16 Libya 45.6% 2022 up 12.7% rising
17 Philippines 45.5% 2022 up 58.5% rising
18 Serbia 44.9% 2022 down 3.3% falling
19 South Africa 44.8% 2022 down 6.3% falling
20 Japan 44.7% 2022 up 20.5% rising
21 Trinidad and Tobago 44.5% 2022 up 9.0% rising
22 Türkiye 44.4% 2022 up 5.4% rising
23 Barbados 44.0% 2022 up 10.4% rising
24 Saint Kitts and Nevis 41.7% 2022 up 11.6% rising
25 Puerto Rico 41.6% 2022 up 9.9% rising
26 Belize 41.5% 2022 up 10.8% rising
27 Oman 40.9% 2022 up 12.8% rising
28 Cyprus 40.8% 2022 down 2.8% flat
29 Malta 40.7% 2022 down 14.7% falling
30 Brazil 40.4% 2022 up 12.6% rising
31 Italy 40.1% 2022 down 4.7% falling
32 Malaysia 39.9% 2022 down 2.2% flat
33 El Salvador 39.2% 2022 up 12.2% rising
34 Nicaragua 38.7% 2022 up 10.4% rising
35 Jamaica 38.6% 2022 up 14.6% rising
36 Bahrain 38.6% 2022 up 9.1% rising
37 Mauritania 38.5% 2022 down 21.3% falling
38 Argentina 38.5% 2022 up 7.4% rising
39 Chile 38.2% 2022 up 25.4% rising
40 Antigua and Barbuda 38.1% 2022 up 11.3% rising
41 Syria 37.8% 2022 up 9.6% rising
42 Sri Lanka 37.2% 2022 up 34.2% rising
43 Canada 37.2% 2022 up 15.9% rising
44 Bahamas 37.2% 2022 down 1.0% flat
45 Dominican Republic 37.0% 2022 up 14.0% rising
46 Poland 37.0% 2022 up 24.7% rising
47 Guatemala 36.8% 2022 up 64.2% rising
48 Honduras 36.8% 2022 up 13.3% rising
49 Romania 36.8% 2022 up 35.0% rising
50 Paraguay 36.0% 2022 up 21.6% rising
51 Grenada 35.9% 2022 up 13.7% rising
52 Tajikistan 35.7% 2022 up 17.2% rising
53 Naoero 35.5% 2022 down 9.1% falling
54 Greece 35.2% 2022 up 8.2% rising
55 Norway 35.1% 2022 up 3.4% rising
56 Guyana 35.1% 2022 up 14.7% rising
57 Peru 34.5% 2022 up 17.0% rising
58 Colombia 34.4% 2022 up 13.0% rising
59 Uruguay 33.8% 2022 up 8.5% rising
60 Egypt 33.8% 2022 up 4.7% rising
61 United States of America 33.7% 2022 up 4.7% rising
62 Tunisia 33.4% 2022 up 18.3% rising
63 Afghanistan 33.4% 2022 up 21.7% rising
64 Brunei Darussalam 32.5% 2022 up 10.4% rising
65 Bulgaria 32.3% 2022 up 23.0% rising
66 Kiribati 31.9% 2022 down 12.2% falling
67 Uzbekistan 31.7% 2022 up 70.1% rising
68 Cape Verde 31.2% 2022 up 17.2% rising
69 Tonga 30.7% 2022 down 0.0% falling
70 Dominica 30.5% 2022 up 22.4% rising
71 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 30.5% 2022 up 11.2% rising
72 Viet Nam 30.3% 2022 up 33.0% rising
73 Mauritius 29.9% 2022 up 5.3% rising
74 Mali 29.8% 2022 down 9.8% falling
75 Palestine, State of 29.7% 2022 down 16.6% falling
76 Hungary 29.4% 2022 up 24.5% rising
77 Micronesia, Federated States of 29.3% 2022 down 17.3% falling
78 Yemen 29.2% 2022 up 17.5% rising
79 Algeria 29.0% 2022 up 10.7% rising
80 Thailand 28.9% 2022 up 30.4% rising
81 Croatia 28.4% 2022 up 42.2% rising
82 Haiti 28.3% 2022 up 13.4% rising
83 Jordan 28.2% 2022 up 1.8% rising
84 Kazakhstan 28.2% 2022 up 24.6% rising
85 Mexico 28.0% 2022 up 10.6% rising
86 Mongolia 27.5% 2022 up 69.6% rising
87 Andorra 27.2% 2022 down 12.0% falling
88 North Korea 27.0% 2022 up 15.2% rising
89 Timor-Leste 26.9% 2022 up 25.5% rising
90 Armenia 26.6% 2022 up 8.1% rising
91 Israel 26.6% 2022 down 11.9% falling
92 North Macedonia 26.1% 2022 up 10.5% rising
93 Palau 26.0% 2022 down 12.3% falling
94 Iceland 25.9% 2022 down 9.5% falling
95 San Marino 25.7% 2022 down 11.1% falling
96 Australia 25.5% 2022 down 2.3% falling
97 Cook Islands 25.4% 2022 down 34.0% falling
98 Belgium 25.4% 2022 down 27.1% falling
99 Namibia 25.4% 2022 down 16.8% falling
100 Maldives 24.6% 2022 up 1.1% flat
101 Morocco 24.5% 2022 up 7.4% rising
102 Tuvalu 24.4% 2022 down 17.3% falling
103 Marshall Islands 24.4% 2022 down 19.8% falling
104 Albania 24.3% 2022 up 12.7% rising
105 Georgia 24.0% 2022 up 22.9% rising
106 Azerbaijan 23.9% 2022 up 5.6% rising
107 China 23.8% 2022 up 11.1% rising
108 Czechia 23.4% 2022 up 0.8% flat
109 Slovakia 23.3% 2022 down 4.8% falling
110 France 23.2% 2022 down 24.1% falling
111 Singapore 23.2% 2022 down 0.8% falling
112 Ecuador 22.8% 2022 up 5.0% flat
113 Montenegro 22.8% 2022 up 9.7% rising
114 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 22.6% 2022 up 3.2% flat
115 Botswana 22.3% 2022 down 10.7% falling
116 Myanmar 22.0% 2022 up 2.4% flat
117 Ireland 21.9% 2022 down 25.9% falling
118 Spain 21.8% 2022 down 28.8% falling
119 Ghana 21.2% 2022 up 10.0% rising
120 Gambia 21.2% 2022 down 2.2% falling
121 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21.1% 2022 up 19.5% rising
122 Saint Lucia 20.9% 2022 down 6.0% falling
123 Gabon 20.8% 2022 down 7.4% falling
124 Seychelles 20.4% 2022 down 3.2% falling
125 Bangladesh 20.3% 2022 down 1.7% falling
126 Lithuania 20.2% 2022 down 7.7% falling
127 Kyrgyzstan 19.9% 2022 up 10.8% rising
128 Austria 19.8% 2022 down 22.6% falling
129 Côte d'Ivoire 19.7% 2022 down 9.2% falling
130 Equatorial Guinea 19.5% 2022 down 8.4% falling
131 Eswatini 19.2% 2022 down 9.0% falling
132 Sudan 19.1% 2022 down 5.2% falling
133 Switzerland 19.0% 2022 down 16.5% falling
134 Indonesia 19.0% 2022 up 14.4% rising
135 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 19.0% 2022 down 30.2% falling
136 Slovenia 19.0% 2022 up 1.5% flat
137 Cameroon 18.8% 2022 down 10.4% falling
138 New Zealand 18.7% 2022 down 7.2% falling
139 Sao Tome and Principe 18.2% 2022 up 2.0% flat
140 Russian Federation 18.1% 2022 up 27.9% rising
141 Somalia 18.1% 2022 down 3.8% falling
142 Nigeria 18.1% 2022 down 6.8% falling
143 Benin 18.0% 2022 up 5.3% rising
144 Chad 17.8% 2022 down 10.9% falling
145 Zimbabwe 17.7% 2022 down 2.2% falling
146 Guinea-Bissau 17.6% 2022 down 6.4% falling
147 Solomon Islands 17.5% 2022 down 29.0% falling
148 Angola 17.3% 2022 down 8.6% falling
149 Comoros 17.2% 2022 up 32.7% rising
150 Djibouti 17.0% 2022 down 4.1% falling
151 Burkina Faso 16.9% 2022 up 2.6% flat
152 Guinea 16.7% 2022 down 5.0% falling
153 Senegal 16.6% 2022 down 8.8% falling
154 Central African Republic 16.5% 2022 down 4.6% falling
155 South Sudan 16.3% 2022 down 3.7% falling
156 Niger 16.2% 2022 down 14.0% falling
157 Congo 16.0% 2022 down 12.0% falling
158 Estonia 15.9% 2022 up 10.4% rising
159 Lao People's Democratic Republic 15.8% 2022 up 1.3% falling
160 Fiji 15.5% 2022 down 14.8% falling
161 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.9% 2022 down 7.0% falling
162 Togo 14.8% 2022 up 5.6% rising
163 Liberia 14.6% 2022 down 31.7% falling
164 Latvia 14.5% 2022 down 15.5% falling
165 Burundi 14.3% 2022 down 5.1% falling
166 Zambia 14.1% 2022 down 8.1% falling
167 Belarus 14.0% 2022 down 11.7% falling
168 Luxembourg 13.9% 2022 down 28.8% falling
169 Madagascar 13.6% 2022 down 3.2% falling
170 Samoa 13.5% 2022 down 40.8% falling
171 Cambodia 13.3% 2022 up 0.6% falling
172 Sierra Leone 13.0% 2022 down 12.0% falling
173 Ukraine 12.8% 2022 up 11.3% rising
174 Papua New Guinea 12.5% 2022 down 11.5% falling
175 Denmark 12.1% 2022 down 32.1% falling
176 Turkmenistan 12.1% 2022 down 12.8% falling
177 Germany 12.0% 2022 down 23.7% falling
178 Eritrea 11.8% 2022 down 2.1% falling
179 Republic of Moldova 10.8% 2022 down 16.1% falling
180 Bhutan 9.9% 2022 down 5.0% falling
181 Mozambique 9.7% 2022 up 19.9% rising
182 Finland 9.6% 2022 down 40.5% falling
183 Ethiopia 9.4% 2022 down 14.0% falling
184 Netherlands 9.4% 2022 down 31.2% falling
185 Rwanda 9.0% 2022 down 30.6% falling
186 Kenya 8.9% 2022 down 14.3% falling
187 Sweden 8.7% 2022 down 47.1% falling
188 Nepal 8.2% 2022 down 11.1% falling
189 Lesotho 8.0% 2022 down 14.4% falling
190 Vanuatu 7.5% 2022 down 23.7% falling
191 Niue 7.4% 2022 down 29.2% falling
192 Uganda 5.5% 2022 down 24.6% falling
193 Tanzania, United Republic of 4.3% 2022 down 40.7% falling
194 Malawi 2.7% 2022 down 56.8% volatile

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ by country. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-insufficient-physical-activity-among-adults-aged-18-years-age-standardized/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ years (age-standardized estimate) (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
207 places, 4,761 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed