Nearly nine in 10 Singapore residents now get enough exercise each week, but only 37.6 per cent do enough strength training, a figure that has not moved since 2020.
The share of residents with sufficient total physical activity rose from 84.7 per cent in 2024 to 87.3 per cent in 2025. The National Population Health Survey 2025 ran from August 2024 to July 2025 and covered residents aged 18 to 74.
Two different bars
The two numbers measure different things, which is why one can climb while the other stays flat.
Sufficient physical activity means at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a mix of the two. It counts work, commuting and leisure, so a long walk to the MRT or a job spent standing both go towards it.
Muscle-strengthening is a narrower test. It needs exercise that works the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, with at least one set of eight to 12 repetitions to count as a day. Brisk walking alone does not count. Squats, push-ups, resistance bands and weights do.
That leaves six in 10 residents short on the strength side, a share that has held since 2020 while overall activity improved. Muscle mass falls by 3 to 8 per cent a decade after the age of 30.
Where to start strength training
ActiveSG’s Active Health labs run coach-led strength courses in small groups, all in person, one 60-minute session a week:
- STRENGTH 1.0: eight weeks, for adults 18 and above, built around seven core strength movements with health coaching and technique work.
- Stronger at 40: six weeks, for those aged 40 to 59, covering strength exercises on different equipment and the reasoning behind each. A STRENGTH 2.0 assessment and check-in is recommended before signing up.
- Combat Age-Related Loss of Muscle (CALM) 1.0: eight weeks, for those 60 and above. Week one tests handgrip strength, walking speed and muscle mass, with a resistance band handed out; weeks two to seven are training, and week eight is a check-in.
There are no sessions on public holidays, and none of the three offers refunds, so a full run has to fit the calendar before booking.
HPB’s free MOVE IT line-up has shorter options. Quick HIIT works the core, upper and lower body in short bursts, pitched at general fitness and IPPT training. Sunrise in the City offers more than 60 workout types at over 30 locations, including strength conditioning, for working adults before work, at lunch or on weekends. HPB also runs free community workouts at open spaces, Active Ageing Centres and workplaces across the heartlands.
How Healthier SG fits in
Healthier SG enrollees aged 40 and above get a fully subsidised first consultation, where the doctor draws up a Health Plan that can include physical activity goals. The annual Health Plan check-ins are also fully subsidised.
From 27 July 2026 to 27 January 2027, eligible enrollees can try a Health Plan AI beta on HealthHub, which generates a personalised exercise plan against the goals in their Health Plan.
Healthy 365, the HPB app that tracks activity goals and lists community workouts, has close to 900,000 users a month.
The same surveys found the rest of the picture mixed. Daily smoking held at 8.8 per cent, while average sodium intake climbed to 4,000mg a day, double the recommended limit.
