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Almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 2030, if governments worldwide don’t take urgent action to promote the benefits of exercise, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.

And the price of inaction and staying on the couch, will be severe, the UN agency said – around $27 billion every year in extra healthcare costs, UN News reported.

The Global status report on physical activity 2022, measures the extent to which governments are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities.

Data from 194 countries show that overall, progress is slow and that countries need to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase heart rates and help prevent disease and reduce the burden on already overwhelmed health services.

The statistics lay bare the extent of the challenges facing countries worldwide:

• Less than 50 per cent of countries have a national physical activity policy, of which less than 40 per cent are operational.
• Only 30 per cent of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all ages.
• While nearly all countries report a system for monitoring adult exercise, only 75 per cent of countries monitor adolescent activity, and less than 30 per cent monitor physical activity in children under 5.
• In transport policy terms, just over 40 per cent of countries have road design standards that make walking and cycling safer.

"We need more countries to scale up implementation of policies to support people to be more active through walking, cycling, sport, and other physical activity”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“The benefits are huge, not only for the physical and mental health of individuals, but also for societies, environments, and economies…We hope countries and partners will use this report to build more active, healthier, and fairer societies for all.” 

The economic burden of taking it too easy is significant, says the WHO report, and the cost of treating new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will reach nearly $300 billion by 2030.