Kuwait tops the list of world’s most inactive nations: WHO report.

In the survey of 168 nations, Kuwait ranked as the world’s most inactive, while Uganda came out as the most energetic.

One in four people don’t get enough exercise, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). In the survey of 168 nations, Kuwait ranked as the world’s most inactive, while Uganda came out as the most energetic.

Among developed countries, the US ranked 143rd on the list, the UK 123rd while Australia came in at 97th, with the higher numbers indicating a more inactive population.

In Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, more than half of the population doesn’t get enough exercise, according to the WHO. In Uganda, by contrast, just 5.5% are not sufficiently active.

The WHO defines enough exercise as at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week, or any combination of the two.

In most countries, women tend to be less active than men. People in poorer nations are more than twice as active as their counterparts in high-income nations. The report’s authors point to sedentary occupations and a higher dependence on automobiles for the slide in activity.

Global exercise levels did not improve significantly between 2001 and 2016, and the WHO is not on track to meet its 2025 target of reducing physical inactivity by 10%. “A significant increase in national action is urgently needed in most countries,” they said. (Source: Livemint)