Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ was 19.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
19.0%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
135th
of 194 countries
All-time high
37.5%
in 2000
All-time low
19.0%
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2022

0102030402000201120222000: 37.52001: 36.72002: 362003: 35.22004: 34.32005: 33.52006: 32.62007: 31.82008: 30.92009: 302010: 292011: 28.12012: 27.22013: 26.32014: 25.42015: 24.52016: 23.72017: 22.82018: 222019: 21.22020: 20.52021: 19.72022: 19

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 19.0% for prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 37.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 19.0%, in 2022.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 135th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ years (age-standardized estimate) (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 37.5%
2001 36.7% -2.0%
2002 36.0% -2.1%
2003 35.2% -2.2%
2004 34.3% -2.3%
2005 33.5% -2.5%
2006 32.6% -2.6%
2007 31.8% -2.7%
2008 30.9% -2.8%
2009 30.0% -2.9%
2010 29.0% -3.1%
2011 28.1% -3.2%
2012 27.2% -3.3%
2013 26.3% -3.4%
2014 25.4% -3.4%
2015 24.5% -3.5%
2016 23.7% -3.5%
2017 22.8% -3.5%
2018 22.0% -3.6%
2019 21.2% -3.6%
2020 20.5% -3.6%
2021 19.7% -3.6%
2022 19.0% -3.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33.8% 30.0% 37.5% 10
2010s 25.0% 21.2% 29.0% 10
2020s 19.7% 19.0% 20.5% 3

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 132 Sudan 19.1% compare
  2. 133 Switzerland 19.0% compare
  3. 134 Indonesia 19.0% compare
  4. 136 Slovenia 19.0% compare
  5. 137 Cameroon 18.8% compare
  6. 138 New Zealand 18.7% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 19.0% in 2022, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 37.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 19.0% in 2022.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 135th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ years (age-standardized estimate) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-insufficient-physical-activity-among-adults-aged-18-years-age-standardized/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-insufficient-physical-activity-among-adults-aged-18-years-age-standardized/united-kingdom/">Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

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