Current Status

On Track — Saudi Arabia is making progress toward increasing weekly physical activity rates among youth, with participation in organised and informal exercise rising significantly since 2016. The expansion of sports infrastructure and the introduction of physical education in girls’ schools have been transformative.

Key Metrics

Trend Analysis

The physical activity landscape in Saudi Arabia has undergone a fundamental transformation since 2016. From a baseline where only 13 per cent of youth engaged in regular weekly exercise — one of the lowest rates in the G20 — the Kingdom has more than doubled participation to 29 per cent by 2024. This improvement reflects coordinated policy interventions across infrastructure, cultural norms, and institutional support.

The infrastructure buildout has been substantial. Over 900 new sports facilities have been constructed or renovated, including community fitness centres, football pitches, running tracks, and multi-sport complexes. The Saudi Sports for All Federation, established in 2018, has organised mass participation events including community walkathons, cycling events, and fitness challenges that have attracted millions of participants annually. The introduction of mandatory physical education in all schools — including girls’ schools, where it was historically absent — has normalised physical activity among younger age cohorts. Female sports participation has grown by over 320 per cent since 2016, catalysed by the lifting of restrictions on women’s sports, the licensing of female-only gyms, and Saudi women’s participation in international competitions.

The cultural shift is perhaps more significant than the infrastructure investment. Physical activity was historically undervalued in Saudi society, with hot climate conditions, car-dependent urban design, and cultural norms limiting outdoor exercise. Vision 2030 has directly challenged these barriers through public awareness campaigns, the creation of shaded and climate-controlled exercise environments, and the promotion of sports role models. The success of Saudi athletes in international competitions — and the Kingdom’s hosting of major sporting events including Formula 1, boxing world championship bouts, and football tournaments — has elevated the cultural status of physical activity.

Methodology

Youth physical activity rates are measured through the General Authority for Statistics’ Health Survey and supplementary sports participation surveys conducted by the Ministry of Sport. The metric tracks the percentage of the population aged 15 to 34 who engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, consistent with WHO guidelines. Data is collected through nationally representative household surveys with sample sizes exceeding 25,000 respondents. The survey instrument was redesigned in 2019 to align with the WHO Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), improving comparability with international benchmarks. Self-reported activity is cross-validated against facility utilisation data and wearable device data where available.

Related Priorities

Youth physical activity directly supports multiple Vision 2030 health objectives. Increased exercise rates contribute to the Life Expectancy target by reducing the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease — Saudi Arabia’s leading causes of premature mortality. Physical activity improvements support the World Happiness Index through documented links between exercise and subjective wellbeing. The sports infrastructure buildout supports quality-of-life improvements tracked in the Three Cities in Top 100 target. The growth of the sports sector also contributes to economic diversification, with the sports industry’s GDP contribution growing to an estimated SAR 16 billion annually, supporting the broader health and wellbeing priority.

Outlook

Reaching the 40 per cent target by 2030 requires an increase of 11 percentage points over six years — approximately 1.8 points annually, modestly above the historical pace of approximately 2.0 points per year. The continued expansion of community sports infrastructure, the maturation of school-based physical education programmes, and the growing cultural normalisation of exercise all support continued progress. The Saudi Sports for All Federation’s “Move to Game” initiative targets 15 million participants by 2030.

The principal challenges relate to sustaining engagement beyond initial participation — converting occasional exercisers into habitually active individuals — and addressing the urban design barriers that make walking and cycling impractical in many Saudi cities. The Kingdom’s investments in pedestrianisation, cycling infrastructure, and green spaces in Riyadh, Jeddah, and other cities address the latter challenge. The Vanderbilt Portfolio projects achievement in the range of 35 to 42 per cent by 2030, suggesting the target is within reach with sustained effort.