New Zealand has been ranked the 14th "laziest country in the world", according to a major new report of exercise levels across the globe. Photo / 123RF
New Zealand has been ranked the 14th "laziest country in the world", according to a major new report of exercise levels across the globe. Photo / 123RF
New Zealand has been ranked the 14th "laziest country in the world", according to a major new report on exercise levels across the globe.
The laziest 20 nations in the world have today been named and shamed, with New Zealand having 42.4 per cent of its population failing to hit recommended targets.
Kuwait has the lowest levels of physical activity – with 67 per cent, the Daily Mail reports.
The WHO urges people to do least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, such as cycling or brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, like running. Photo / Getty Images
At the other end of the scale, just 5.5 per cent of people in Uganda don't do enough exercise to keep themselves healthy.
The WHO urges people to do least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, such as cycling or brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running.
More British adults fail to hit these targets than people in Africa, South America and most of Asia. In poorer countries, people tend to have to walk further distances and are more active in their jobs, while those living in rich countries often have sedentary lifestyles and are reliant on public transport.
But they are also less active than in comparable Western nations such as France, Spain, Australia and Canada.
The US is even more inactive than the UK, with 40 per cent of adults not doing enough exercise, while the figure for Italy is 41 per cent.
The WHO report, published in the Lancet medical journal, revealed the global average of insufficient activity was 27 per cent.
More than half of adults don't take part in enough exercise in American Samoa (53.4 per cent), Saudi Arabia (53 per cent) and Iraq (52 per cent).
While, alongside Uganda, there are six other nations where insufficient activity is below 10 per cent: Mozambique, Lesotho, Tanzania, Niue, Vanuatu and Togo.
Experts believe when women do exercise they do it at a lower intensity. Photo / 123RF
Globally, 32 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men fail to hit the activity target.
Experts believe women around the world tend to be more inactive than men because they participate in fewer sports and leisure activities – and when they do exercise they do it at a lower intensity.
Experts are worried that a growing crisis in inactive lifestyles is putting millions at risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Steven Ward, of the UK Active organisation, said: "These figures are a damning indictment of our nation's health, with the UK lagging behind much of the rest of the world for activity levels.
"Physical inactivity is the cause of 37,000 premature deaths in the UK each year and costs our economy an estimated £20 billion.
"This should be seen as a national disgrace.
"The Government must make physical activity a top-tier health priority... or risk facing an unsustainable burden on both the NHS and social care."
The figures come after a Public Health England report, published yesterday, found 78 per cent of over-30s have hearts that are more damaged than they should be for their age, putting them at greater risk of early death.
Experts are particularly worried about inactive middle-aged people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who continuously put their busy lives ahead of the needs of their health.
Some 67 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women in Britain are overweight – well above the global average.
Scientists wrote in the WHO report: "Our analysis, including data from nearly 2 million participants, shows that globally in 2016 more than a quarter of all adults were not getting enough physical activity.
"This puts more than 1.4 billion adults at risk of developing or exacerbating diseases linked to inactivity, and needs to be urgently addressed."
The reportcalled for "more opportunities for safe and accessible leisure-time activity to women in order to increase their overall levels of activity".
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