The WHO says more than 500 million people are estimated to develop heart diseases, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases because of physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus disclosed this in a report highlighting the high cost of physical inactivity in its first-ever global report released on Thursday.

“It will cost some 27 billion dollars annually, if governments do not take urgent action to encourage more physical activity among their populations,’’ he said.

According to him, the global status report on physical activity in 2022 measures the extent to which governments are implementing recommendations to increase physical activity across all ages and abilities.

He said data from 194 countries showed that overall progress was slow and that countries needed to accelerate the development and implementation of policies to increase levels of physical activity.

Mr Ghebreyesus said the policies would help to prevent diseases and reduce the burden on already overwhelmed healthcare systems.

He said that less than 50 per cent of countries had national physical activity policies, out of which less than 40 per cent are operational.

“Only 30 per cent of countries have national physical activity guidelines for all age groups. While nearly all countries report a system for monitoring physical activity in adults, 75 per cent of countries monitor physical activity among adolescents and less than 30 per cent monitor same in children less than five years,” added the WHO director-general.

Mr Ghebreyesus also noted that “only just over 40 per cent of countries have road design standards that make walking and cycling safer.”

He advocated for more countries to scale up the implementation of policies to support people to be more active through walking, cycling, sports, and other physical activities.

The WHO boss hoped “countries and partners will use this report to build more active, healthier, and fairer societies for all.”

According to him, the economic burden of physical inactivity is significant, citing that the cost of treating new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases will reach nearly $300 billion by 2030; and around $27 billion annually.

(NAN)