How much do we move? 46.6% achievement rate for physical activity levels recommended by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Preliminary Report)

The Sasakawa Sports Foundation (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Kazutoshi Watanabe) and the Meiji Yasuda Institute of Health and Welfare (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Toshio Namai) have announced the preliminary results of the "2025 Survey on Physical Activity and Sports Using Activity Trackers," conducted in November 2025.

In January 2024, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) established the "New Recommended Physical Activity Levels for Health Promotion" in its "Physical Activity and Exercise Guide for Health Promotion 2023" (hereinafter referred to as the "Physical Activity Guide 2023"). However, there has been a challenge in that there is no nationwide, representative, objective data regarding physical activity levels, making it difficult to clearly grasp how much the public is actually moving.

To address this, the organizations have been conducting a joint research project since fiscal year 2023 to understand the reality of physical activity in Japan by using "activity trackers" that can measure time spent on physical activity, activity intensity, and sedentary time, while also surveying sports participation via questionnaires. Since fiscal year 2024, the survey has been conducted at 200 locations across all 47 prefectures in Japan. In the latest survey conducted in fiscal year 2025, the overall achievement rate for the recommended daily physical activity levels set by the Physical Activity Guide 2023 was 46.6%.

▼Official Website

https://www.ssf.or.jp/thinktank/health_wellbeing/my-zaidan2025.html

■ What is Physical Activity?

It refers to "all movements that consume more energy than being at rest." Standing work and general housework in daily life are classified as low-intensity physical activity, while climbing stairs and general exercise/sports are classified as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The Physical Activity Guide 2023 provides standards for physical activity of 3 METs* or higher (walking, gardening, playing with children, swimming, etc.).

*METs: A unit of "activity intensity" indicating how many times more energy is consumed compared to resting (which is 1). Walking is 3 METs, brisk walking is 4.5 METs, and running is 10 METs. If you run for 3 hours a week, it equals 10 METs × 3 hours = 30 METs-hours per week.

■ Key Survey Findings

• The achievement rate for the recommended daily physical activity levels for health promotion set by the MHLW Physical Activity Guide 2023 (60 minutes/day for adults, 40 minutes/day for the elderly) was 46.6% overall, showing no significant difference compared to the fiscal year 2024 survey (47.9%).

• The achievement rate for adults (20-64 years old) was 44.7%, and for the elderly (65 and older) was 53.3%, with the adult rate falling below 50%.

• The average daily step count was 6,648 steps, and sedentary time was 8.8 hours.

＜Survey Results (Preliminary)＞

1. 46.6% achievement rate for recommended physical activity levels set by the MHLW Physical Activity Guide 2023

In the "Physical Activity Guide 2023," it is recommended...