Over One-Quarter of the Entire World’s Population Doesn’t Get Enough Exercise

About 1.4 billion people around the globe – about one-quarter of all the adults on earth – aren't getting enough physical activity in their day-to-day lives. According to a study from the World Health Organization, people who don't exercise enough daily are at higher risk for cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, to start. To keep healthy, you need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous, strenuous activity every week. According to the 2016 study, only one-third of women and one-fourth of men were not getting the recommended amounts.  The countries with the highest rates of inactivity were mostly Middle Eastern, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, as well as American Samoa. Over 50% of adults in these areas were not getting enough physical activity. Meanwhile, 40% of all U.S. adults, 14% of Chinese adults, and 36% of British adults were not active enough. In addition to the high rates of inactivity, the study found that these rates are staying stagnant despite growing research that proves how vital exercise is to health. In fact, inactivity is twice as high in richer countries versus poorer ones, and even increased during the years 2001-2016 by 5%. One big reason may be because sedentary occupations are becoming the norm in richer countries, while poorer countries have more active occupations.