10 hours a day: Germans are frequent sitters
On average, respondents spend just under 10 hours sitting daily, divided between commuting, work, television, personal computer or tablet use, and other leisure time. / © Getty Images/Moon Safari
More than ten hours a weekday—that's how much time people in Germany spend sitting on average, according to a new survey. This is a new record, according to the results of a report by the German Health Insurance (DKV).
According to the data, respondents spend an average of 3.5 hours sitting at work, and another 2.5 hours watching television. Commuting by train, car, or other means of transport accounts for 80 minutes per day, and time spent on computers or tablets accounts for 1.5 hours. In their remaining leisure time, people spend an average of another 82 minutes sitting.
The report states that approximately one hour of exercise per day is a good guideline to offset long periods of sitting of more than eight hours. However, only just under one in three sedentary people (30 percent) compensate for long periods of sitting with an hour or more of exercise per day.
The report was produced in collaboration with the German Sport University Cologne and the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. A total of around 2,800 people aged 18 and older across Germany were surveyed. The surveys were conducted in February and March 2025.
The World Health Organization ( The WHO recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Examples include brisk walking or relaxed cycling—activities that feel slightly strenuous but still allow for conversation. Alternatively, you can also incorporate at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise into your week, such as jogging or interval training.
In addition, adults should incorporate muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week. These include bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups.
That sounds like a lot at first, but the good news is: any amount of exercise is better than none, according to the WHO. The main thing is to start.
How can I increase my daily physical activity? A good place to start is increasing my daily physical activity. This can be done with these three strategies:
- To work, to the supermarket, to a meeting: Those who walk or cycle these routes have moved more at the end of the day. If the journeys are too long? Then there's always the option of parking the car a little further away or getting off one stop earlier.
- Where possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator: This strengthens the muscles in your thighs, calves, and buttocks. If you live on an upper floor, it's also a good idea to go up and down the stairs two or three times for a quick workout, advises the Health Knowledge Foundation.
- Phone calls at the office or during leisure time can easily be combined with a few steps of exercise. Or you can combine an exciting audiobook with a walk through the park or around the block. This is a tip from the Healthy Back Campaign to help motivate yourself to go for walks.
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