Adult physical inactivity levels reach all-time high

women exercising and laughing in a group

Members of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry are calling for urgent action on combatting rising levels of physical inactivity.

New data released on 26 June 2024 by the World Health Organization (WHO) on rising levels of physical inactivity is galvanising sporting goods and fitness giants to team up to address this alarming trend.

What this means

The biggest sporting goods companies in the world including adidas, Amer Sports, ANTA, arena, ASICS, Cycleurope, Decathlon, Li-Ning, New Balance, Nike, On, Orbea, Pentland Brands, PUMA, Restube, Shimano, SHRED., Specialized, SRAM, Tecnica Group, Under Armour, Wearable Technologies and Yonex have come together as members of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) to support a call for urgent action along with health and fitness industries.

The problem

31% of adults are inactive and are not meeting the recommended levels of physical activity (just 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week).

If this trend in inactivity continues, global levels of physical inactivity are projected to rise to 35% by 2030 (from 26% in 2010) while the economic cost of treating health conditions that are preventable by engaging in a more active lifestyle will exceed US$300 billion by 2030.

The new inactivity data reveals the world is off track to meet the WHO target of a 15% relative reduction in the global prevalence of physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 2030.

The industry response

WFSGI CEO Emma Zwiebler explains, “The new WHO data is very worrying from a public health perspective but also from an industry standpoint. Getting the world to move more is a business imperative for the members we represent.”

If you are interested in learning more about this joint industries statement I would be happy to set up an interview with WFSGI CEO, Emma Zwiebler.