WHO: Lack of exercise to cost world $27 billion each year

October 19, 2022

A new report by the World Health Organization revealed that the lack of exercise and healthy physical activities can cost governments across the world more than 27 billion USD each year.

Key findings

The report by the World Health Organization titled “Global status report on physical activity 2022” revealed that less than half of the 194 countries studied have a concrete national policy when it comes to promotion of physical activities.
Of these, less than 40 per cent of them have functional policies.
While nearly all countries have a system for monitoring adult exercise, only 75 per cent of them monitor adolescent activity. Less than 30 per cent monitor physical activities of children under the age of 5.
The number of cases of diabetes, dementia and high blood pressure is expected to increase by the end of this decade and there will be a significant increase in expenses for addressing these issues.
The report revealed that regular exercises can minimise the health risks by almost 30 per cent.
It estimated that the lack of exercise and healthy physical activities can cost governments around the world more than 27 billion USD each year.
It recommended the governments to actively encourage citizens to adopt a healthy lifestyle to stop the occurrence of these diseases in the future.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare costs have surged across the globe and this trend is expected to continue in the future.
Cost-effective actions like exercises minimises these expenses significantly.
Despite the evidence of economic, social and environmental benefits associated with exercise and physical activities, governments have not increased focus on raising awareness about them to the general public.
This is especially true in low-income countries where the standard of living is low and the healthcare is weak.

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