Youth fitness statistics measure several different things: reported physical activity, participation in sports and physical education, direct fitness tests, historical trends and intervention effects. The figures below make the population, geography and measurement period explicit so activity behavior is not confused with aerobic capacity, strength or endurance.
Key Youth Fitness Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- In 2025, 25% of U.S. high school students reported at least 60 minutes of physical activity on all 7 days before the survey.
- In 2025, 16% of U.S. high school students reported meeting both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines.
- In 2025, 51% of U.S. high school students reported muscle-strengthening activity on at least 3 days in the prior week.
- In 2025, 20% of U.S. high school students reported attending physical education classes daily.
- In 2025, 58% of U.S. high school students reported playing on at least one sports team.
- The revised Healthy People 2030 national status was 16.5% in 2023 for U.S. students in grades 9–12 meeting both activity criteria.
- The Healthy People 2030 target is 24.1% for U.S. students meeting both aerobic and muscle-strengthening criteria by 2030.
- From 2015 to 2025, daily 60-minute activity among U.S. high school students was 27%, 26%, 23%, 24%, 25% and 25% across the six survey years.
- In 2025, 32% of male versus 18% of female U.S. high school students reported daily 60-minute activity.
- In 2025, 14% of urban versus 26% of rural U.S. high school students reported meeting both guidelines.
- During July 2021–December 2023, 61.1% of U.S. 12–17-year-olds reported 60 minutes of activity most days or every day.
- During the same period, 70.4% of U.S. 12–17-year-olds with no more than 2 hours of daily recreational screen time reported that activity level.
- During the same period, 54.4% of U.S. 12–17-year-olds with at least 4 hours of daily recreational screen time reported that activity level.
- In New York City public schools, 35.6% of grades 4–12 students were in the aerobic-capacity healthy fitness zone in 2018/19.
- In New York City public schools, 70.5% of grades 4–12 students were in the curl-up healthy fitness zone in 2018/19.
- More than 80% of school-going adolescents worldwide did not meet the daily 60-minute activity recommendation during 2001–2016.
- In 2016, 85% of adolescent girls and 78% of adolescent boys worldwide were insufficiently active.
- Across 1958–2003 data from 27 countries, cardiorespiratory endurance declined 0.36% per year overall.
- School-based physical-activity interventions improved VO2max by a pooled 1.19 mL/kg/min versus controls.
Contents
- Key Youth Fitness Statistics
- How Many Adolescents Meet Daily Activity Targets?
- Youth Fitness Trends in Aerobic and Muscle-Strengthening Participation
- Youth Fitness by Sex, School Setting and Screen Time
- Measured Youth Fitness: Aerobic Capacity, Strength and Endurance
- Global Youth Fitness Trends and International Comparisons
- What Youth Fitness Interventions Improve Measured Outcomes?
How Many Adolescents Meet Daily Activity Targets?
The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) reports behavior among U.S. high school students, not direct fitness-test results. In 2025, 25% reported being active for at least 60 minutes on all 7 days before the survey, while 16% reported meeting both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines. CDC YRBSS
| 2025 reported behavior | U.S. high school students |
|---|---|
| At least 60 minutes on all 7 days | 25% |
| Muscle-strengthening activity on at least 3 days | 51% |
| Meeting both guidelines | 16% |
| Daily physical-education attendance | 20% |
| Playing on at least one sports team | 58% |
Daily physical-education attendance was 20%, and 58% reported playing on at least one sports team. Attendance and team participation do not establish exercise intensity, training load or fitness benefit.
The CDC’s 2023 Healthy People baseline found that 20.0% of U.S. students in grades 9–12 met both criteria using a 2017 baseline, while the revised national status was 16.5% in 2023. The Healthy People 2030 target is 24.1%; that figure is a policy target, not an observed outcome. Healthy People 2030 and CDC
Youth Fitness Trends in Aerobic and Muscle-Strengthening Participation
The 2015–2025 YRBSS series shows changes in reported participation rather than a longitudinal follow-up of the same young people. The six survey-year observations are compactly compared below.
| Measure among U.S. high school students | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 minutes daily | 27% | 26% | 23% | 24% | 25% | 25% |
| Muscle-strengthening 3+ days weekly | 53% | 51% | 49% | 45% | 51% | 51% |
| Both guidelines | 20% | 20% | 17% | 16% | 16% | 16% |
| Daily PE attendance | 30% | 30% | 26% | 19% | 27% | 20% |
| Sports-team participation | 58% | 54% | 57% | 49% | 52% | 58% |
The CDC classified daily 60-minute activity, muscle-strengthening activity, meeting both guidelines and daily PE attendance as worsening trends from 2015 to 2025. From 2023 to 2025, it reported no change in daily activity, muscle-strengthening activity or the combined guideline measure; “no change” does not mean the levels were high. CDC YRBSS
Youth Fitness by Sex, School Setting and Screen Time
Reported activity differed by sex and school setting in the 2025 YRBSS results. These are surveillance-system categories and self-reported behaviors, so they describe participation gaps rather than tested physiological capacity.
| 2025 measure | Male | Female | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 minutes daily | 32% | 18% | 24% | 30% |
| Muscle-strengthening 3+ days weekly | 61% | 39% | 49% | 55% |
| Both guidelines | 22% | 10% | 14% | 26% |
| Daily PE attendance | 23% | 16% | — | — |
| Sports-team participation | 61% | 55% | — | — |
The CDC reported that 61.1% of U.S. 12–17-year-olds participated in 60 minutes of activity most days or every day during July 2021–December 2023. Among those reporting no more than 2 hours of daily recreational screen time, the figure was 70.4%; among those reporting at least 4 hours, it was 54.4%. CDC QuickStats
These screen-time figures exclude schoolwork and are self-reported. The association does not establish that screen time caused the difference in reported activity.
Measured Youth Fitness: Aerobic Capacity, Strength and Endurance
The New York City FITNESSGRAM study provides observed school fitness-test results for public-school students in grades 4–12. Its healthy fitness zone standards are age- and sex-specific, and the district findings should not be generalized automatically to all U.S. youth.
| NYC public-school fitness measure | 2006/07 | 2018/19 | Study-reported relative change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerobic-capacity healthy zone | 24.7% | 35.6% | 44.1% increase |
| Push-up healthy zone | 55.3% | 56.1% | 1.4% increase |
| Curl-up healthy zone | 65.0% | 70.5% | 8.5% increase |
The aerobic-capacity result rose from 24.7% in 2006/07 to 35.6% in 2018/19, while the push-up result changed from 55.3% to 56.1%. The curl-up result changed from 65.0% to 70.5%; curl-ups indicate muscular endurance rather than whole-body fitness. PubMed study
Global Youth Fitness Trends and International Comparisons
WHO-led analysis of school-going adolescents during 2001–2016 found that more than 80% did not meet the recommendation of at least 1 hour of daily physical activity. In 2016, the estimate was 85% for adolescent girls and 78% for adolescent boys; insufficient activity is not identical to measured low fitness. WHO
| Global estimate | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Adolescent girls insufficiently active | 2016 | 85% |
| Adolescent boys insufficiently active | 2016 | 78% |
| Boys insufficiently active | 2001 | 80% |
| Boys insufficiently active | 2016 | 78% |
| Girls insufficiently active | 2001–2016 | About 85% |
A systematic review covering 22 eligible studies with observations from 1972–2015 examined children and adolescents aged 6–18. Across 1958–2003 data from 27 countries, cardiorespiratory endurance declined 0.36% per year overall; the historical analysis reported a 0.61% annual improvement from 1958–1970 and a 0.54% annual decline from 1970–2003. Sports Medicine systematic review
The same review reported overall increases of 0.03% per year in proxies of muscle power and 0.04% per year in speed from 1958–2003. For 1958–1985, the corresponding rates were 0.44% per year for muscle-power proxies and 0.27% per year for speed; these historical measures came from heterogeneous tests and populations.
What Youth Fitness Interventions Improve Measured Outcomes?
School-based physical-activity interventions have been evaluated against controls using measured fitness outcomes. A Cochrane review combined 13 studies and found a pooled VO2max mean difference of 1.19 mL/kg/min, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.57 to 1.82 mL/kg/min. Cochrane review
The Cochrane evidence was rated low certainty, with heterogeneous effects and generally small magnitude. The pooled estimate is therefore an average trial effect, not a guaranteed individual response.
The secular-trends review also summarized a large initial increase followed by an equally large decrease in cardiorespiratory endurance between 1986 and 2010–12. In a three-year longitudinal study of children aged 6–12, moderate-to-vigorous activity was positively associated with handgrip strength (beta=0.06) and vertical-jump performance (beta=0.04); these associations were not causal, and vertical jump is a proxy for muscle power. Sports Medicine systematic review