Key Statistics and Facts

Searching for information you can trust about physical activity can be tricky sometimes. But don’t worry Canada, we’ve got your back. We’ve created a helpful list of key facts and statistics you can reference to get a better understanding of just how important staying active can be.

Physical inactivity is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality¹

The costs of physical inactivity

$ 2.4 billion in direct costs
$4.3 billion in indirect costs
$6.8 billion in total health-care costs²

The benefits of physical activity

Getting just 10% of people living in Canada to move more would:

Increase workplace productivity
Decrease absenteeism
Inject a minimum of $1.6 billion into the economy
Reduce health-care spending on chronic disease by $2.6 billion³

Are kids in Canada moving enough?

For optimal health benefits, children and youth need to move more, reduce sedentary behaviours and get the right amount of sleep. Physical activity levels decrease with age, so it’s best to establish healthy habits early in life…

Only 28% of kids and teens (5-17 years) are meeting national physical guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day⁴

Less than 60% of young children 3-4 years of age are meeting national physical activity guidelines.⁵
Levels of physical activity decrease by 7% per year among 10- to 19-year-olds.⁶
Boys (52%) are twice as likely as girls (26%) to meet physical activity guidelines.⁴

Screen time and sleep

80% of 3- to 4-year-olds engage in more than one hour of screen-viewing per day.⁵
Only 18% of 5- to 17-years-olds are meeting the two-hour recommendation of recreational screen-viewing per day.⁴
75% of 5- to 17-year-olds meet national sleep recommendations.⁴

Are children in Canada making the grade?

In our 2022 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, we assigned a ‘D’ to overall physical activity.

What opportunities to get active were lost and found during the pandemic, and where do we go from here?

Read the Report

one girl with a balloon on her hand, a boy with a lupe in his hand and a boy in a wheelchair playing and smiling

Adults in Canada and physical activity

New evidence supports that any movement during the day is good for you. Unfortunately, most adults living in Canada are not getting 150 minutes of MVPA per week.

The majority of adults are not meeting national physical activity guidelines⁷

83% of adults believe physical inactivity is a more serious health issue than tobacco and alcohol use. ⁸
74% of adults state they enjoy being active. ⁸

Seniors in front of a TV in their living room

Too much screen time, just enough sleep

Adults are sedentary for 9.6 hours per day, excluding sleep time.⁹
Adults spend 25 hours per week on screens.¹⁰
On average, adults living in Canada get 7.2 hours of sleep per night.¹¹ Not too shabby!

Are adults in Canada making the grade?

Canada faces a physical inactivity crisis deepened by COVID-19. Will we make the necessary choices to move toward a new, better normal?