Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ was 43.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
43.6%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
26th
of 194 countries
All-time high
47.2%
in 2001
All-time low
43.6%
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022
Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in South Africa, 2000–2022
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 43.6% 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 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in South Africa peaked at 47.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 43.6%, in 2022.
South Africa ranks 26th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 47.2% | — |
| 2001 | 47.2% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 47.2% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 47.2% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 47.2% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 47.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 47.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 46.9% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 46.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 46.6% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 46.4% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 46.2% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 45.9% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 45.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 45.4% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 45.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 44.8% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 44.6% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 44.4% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 44.3% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 44.1% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 43.8% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 43.6% | -0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 43.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.5%, 1.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 43.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 15.4%, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.1% | 46.6% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.3% | 44.3% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.8% | 43.6% | 44.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in South Africa?
- Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ in South Africa was 43.6% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 47.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.6% in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults aged 18+ rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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 (crude estimate) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).