59.1 percent of Saudi adults physically active for 150 minutes or more weekly

RIYADH — Over 59 percent of Saudi Arabia’s population aged 18 and older engaged in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week in 2025, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Results from the National Health Survey showed that 59.1 percent of the Kingdom’s population aged 18 and older met this level of physical activity, with the rate reaching 66.5 percent among males and 43.1 percent among females, based on self-reported data. Adults aged 18–29 recorded the highest physical activity rate at 71.2 percent, followed by those aged 30–39 at 62.6 percent and 40–49 at 56.1 percent. The rate stood at 53.9 percent among those aged 50–59, before falling to 27 percent among those aged 60–69, 18 percent among those aged 70–79, and 3.5 percent among people aged 80 and older. Transportation-related physical activity, including walking or cycling to get to places, ranked first among those engaging in physical activity at 57.1 percent, followed by work-related physical activity at 43.9 percent and non-work-related physical activity at 37.8 percent. Adults spent an average of 309 minutes per day sitting or lying down, excluding sleep, with the average reaching 319 minutes among females and 304 minutes among males. Among children and adolescents aged 5–17, 19 percent engaged in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with the rate reaching 23.3 percent among males and 14.4 percent among females. For sedentary time, 34.6 percent of children and adolescents spent between one and less than two hours per day sitting or participating in sedentary activities such as watching television or using electronic devices, excluding school time. Meanwhile, 23.7 percent spent two to three hours per day sedentary, 20.1 percent spent less than one hour, 13.2 percent spent three to less than four hours, and 5.7 percent spent four hours or more. The statistics are based on results from the 2025 National Health Survey and Women and Child Health Survey, along with GASTAT’s 2025 population estimates. GASTAT noted that the physical activity estimates rely on information self-reported by individuals or caregivers.