Active Healthy Kids – Global Alliance – World Playground Research Institute

Introduction and aim

Active Healthy Kids is both an international and a national Danish network made up of representatives from various organizations with expertise in children’s and young people’s physical activity. Its goal is to gather and assess the best available knowledge that can inspire increased efforts and active collaboration between public, private, and civil actors. The overarching ambition is to help more children and young people be physical activity and experience movement as an natural part of daily life.

Denmark has been part of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance since 2016. An updated report card, based on the most recent data, will be published in 2026. The network is currently in the process of collecting and analyzing data for this update.

Evaluating physical activity in Denmark

Physical activity among children and young people in Denmark is assessed using 10 indicators. These include overall activity levels, participation in organized sports, active play, and the influence of family, peers, schools, and communities. Each indicator is graded based on standardised criteria that apply across all participating countries.

Recent Danish studies suggest that while there are good opportunities for physical activity, many children and young people are still not moving enough. For example, Denmark receives high grades—an A—for active transportation and organized sports. However, it scores a D for overall physical activity, indicating that many children and youth do not meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

In 2022, the Danish network evaluated Active Play for the first time. Play is defined as voluntary engagement in activity that is fun and/or rewarding and usually driven by intrinsic motivation. Active play is a form of play that involves physical activity of any intensity. The indicator received a B-rating based on the fact that 64% of children aged 5 to 15 spent at least two hours outdoors daily, and 67% reported engaging in self-organized sport and exercise.

For the upcoming 2026 report, the network will draw on updated national surveys and data from the large-scale study Moving Denmark. For the first time, this study will also include a special focus on children and young people living with disabilities.

Background

The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance aims to strengthen the global effort to promote physical activity among children and youth through partnerships and cross-sector collaboration that enable the sharing of good practices, networking, and inspiration. The initiative began in Canada, where the first national assessment of various indicators was conducted in 2005. In 2014, the first Global Matrix was published with participation from 15 countries.

Denmark joined for the initiative in 2016, alongside 38 other countries, to contribute to the global assessment. The Global Matrix has since been updated in 2018 and 2022. For the upcoming 2026 edition, 69 countries are expected to participate.

Timeline

Scheduled for release in October 2026, the Global Matrix 5.0 will offer the most comprehensive assessment to date of global differences in physical activity among children and adolescents.

A collection of success stories highlighting countries’ participation in previous Global Matrices has been published and is available here.