Diet and physical activity in Australian adults
Very few Australian adults are meeting guidelines for the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. A high proportion of Australian total daily energy intake comes from discretionary (unhealthy) food and drinks. More than one in ten adults report that they do no physical activity.
Key Evidence
Only 6.3% of Australian adults were consuming the recommended daily intake of vegetables in 2022–23
In 2023, adults obtained almost one-third (30.5%) of their daily energy from discretionary, or unhealthy foods
20% of adults drank sugar-sweetened beverages in 2023. Males aged 18–29 reported the highest level of consumption (36%)
Only 24.7% of adults reported doing physical activity at levels that met the Australian recommendations current in 2022–23
Intake of core foods
Core foods are foods that provide essential nutrients for good health. The Australian Dietary Guidelines1 identify five food groups – vegetables and legumes/beans, fruit, grains, lean meats and other lean sources of protein, and dairy products.
Fruit and vegetable intake
In 2022–23, 93.7% of Australians aged 18 years and over did not meet the Australian guidelines for recommended daily serves of vegetables, and 56.6% did not consume the recommended daily serves of fruit.2 Most adults (95.9%) failed to meet the recommended guidelines for both fruit and vegetables. This means that only around 4% of Australian adults have diets that are consistent with fruit and vegetable recommendations.2
Fruit and vegetable consumption over time
Between 2007–08 and 2022–23, there was little improvement in the proportion of Australian adults meeting the recommended intake of fruit, vegetables, or both. Over this period, around half of adults consumed fewer than the recommended serves of fruit, and more than nine out of ten people consumed fewer than recommended serves of vegetables.2
Discretionary food intake
Discretionary foods are high in energy, saturated fat, added sugar or salt, and are usually low in essential nutrients. They include products like biscuits, confectionery, sweet and savoury pastries, processed meats and sausages, salty snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic beverages.3
Percentage of daily energy intake from discretionary food and beverages
In 2023, Australians aged 18 and over reported that they obtained a little under one-third (30.5%) of their daily energy from eating discretionary foods, with males and females consuming similar proportions (30.8% compared to 30.1%).4 The proportion of energy consumed from discretionary items was similar across age groups. Leading discretionary foods and drinks among adults included alcoholic drinks, takeaway foods like pizzas and burgers, confectionery, soft drinks and sweet biscuits.5
The proportion of discretionary foods consumed as part of the adult daily diet has declined since 2011–12, when adults obtained more than a third of average daily energy intake from discretionary foods. The largest decreases were in 18–29-year-olds (from 35.9% to 30.8%) and 30–49-year-olds (from 35.2% to 29.5%).4
Apparent consumption data from 2023–24, which records the total amount of foods purchased from food retailers, averaged across the whole Australian population, showed that 38.5% of daily energy came from discretionary foods, amounting to an average of 3,337 kJ per person per day.6 This is likely to be an underestimate of the true level of consumption of discretionary foods, as foods purchased from fast food outlets, cafes or restaurants are not included.7
Average intake of free sugars
Free sugars include sugars added to food during processing and preparation, as well as those that occur naturally in fruit and vegetable juices, syrups and honey. Sugars found in unrefined foods, such as whole fruits, vegetables or unflavoured dairy products, are not free sugars.8
Consuming too many free sugars is associated with poor diets, tooth decay, overweight and obesity, and increased risk of chronic diseases like cancer.8
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that free sugars should make up less than 10% of a person’s average daily energy intake. For adults, this is about 12 teaspoons, or 50 grams of free sugar per day.8 For even greater health benefits, the WHO recommends limiting daily free sugar intake to less than 25 grams, or about 6 teaspoons.9
In 2023, average levels of free sugars consumed by Australian adults aged 18 and over accounted for about 8% of daily energy intake.4Males had a higher level of consumption (8.1%) than females (7.8%). Younger adults (aged 18–29) consumed the highest proportion of free sugars, at almost 10%. Males aged 18–29 just exceeded the WHO recommendations at 10.1%, compared with females of the same age (9.5%).4 Overall consumption of free sugars in Australian adults has declined from 11% in 2011–13.10
Apparent consumption data from 2023–24 showed an average of 66.4 grams of free sugars were consumed per person (adults and children) per day, or around 16.5 teaspoons of sugar per person per day.6 This is equivalent to 12.3% of all dietary energy, exceeding the WHO recommendations. Discretionary foods accounted for 89% of free sugar consumption.6
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are non-alcoholic drinks including soft drinks, fruit drinks, cordials and energy drinks that are sweetened with sugar, rather than artificial sweeteners.
In 2023, 20.6% of adults aged 18 and over consumed SSBs. Males (23.8%) were more likely than females (17.3%) to drink SSBs, with younger adults of both sexes 18–29 having the highest prevalence of all age-groups (36% for males, and 26.6% for females).4
Consumption of SSBs in people aged 18 and over has declined substantially, from more than a third of adults (35.7%) in 1995, to around one in five in 2023.4 However, in 2023 around a quarter (25.4%) of all free sugars were consumed in the form of SSBs, mostly from soft drinks and flavoured mineral waters.11
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption, 2023
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
Respondents reporting consumption for the day prior to survey. The ABS notes that survey results from 2011-12 and 2023 should be compared with caution, due to changes reporting behaviours as well as subsequent data processing (i.e. changes to the AUSNUT classification).
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 36 | 26.6 | 31.3 |
| 30-49 | 24.1 | 18.6 | 21.2 |
| 50-64 | 20.5 | 13.1 | 16.8 |
| 65-74 | 15.1 | 10.3 | 12.5 |
| 75 and over | 14.1 | 13.3 | 14 |
| 18 and over | 23.8 | 17.3 | 20.6 |
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption, 2011-2012
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
Respondents reporting consumption for the day prior to survey. The ABS notes that survey results from 2011-12 and 2023 should be compared with caution, due to changes reporting behaviours as well as subsequent data processing (i.e. changes to the AUSNUT classification).
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 53.1 | 39.7 | 46.6 |
| 30-49 | 39.5 | 25.1 | 32.2 |
| 50-64 | 27.6 | 17.3 | 22.1 |
| 65-74 | 18.4 | 19.8 | 18.8 |
| 75 and over | 21.3 | 18.4 | 20.6 |
| 18 and over | 36.6 | 25.2 | 30.9 |
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption, 1995
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
Respondents reporting consumption for the day prior to survey.
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 65.6 | 47.6 | 56.8 |
| 30-49 | 41.5 | 28.5 | 35 |
| 50-64 | 23.9 | 21.2 | 22.6 |
| 65-74 | 23.1 | 17 | 19.8 |
| 75 and over | 23.1 | 17 | 19.3 |
| 18 and over | 41.7 | 29.8 | 35.7 |
Physical activity snapshot
In 2022, only 24.7% of Australian adults met the Australian guidelines for physical activity current at the time.2 The proportion of those meeting the guidelines varied by age group. Adults aged 18–24 years were most likely to meet the recommendations for physical activity (31.3%), and those aged 55–64 were the least likely (16.1%).
Additional national data show that in 2023, adults aged 18 and over who volunteered to wear an accelerometer (which detects changes in speed) spent an average of four hours and 26 minutes a day being active.12 Of this time, four minutes were spent in vigorous activity (such as running). An average of 11 hours and 54 minutes per day were spent inactive, excluding sleeping. Similar patterns of activity were seen for males and females, and younger adults were more active than older people.12
Average time adults spent being physically active or inactive, by physical activity level and age, 2023
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Measured physical activity and sleep 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/measured-physical-activity-and-sleep/2023
Data presented in decimal time. For example, 6 minutes is equal to 0.1 hours.
| Physical activity level | 18–64 years (hours) | 65 years and over (hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate or vigorous physical activity | 2.0 | 1.2 |
| Light physical activity | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| Inactivity | 11.7 | 12.4 |
Sedentary behaviour
Sedentary behaviour (sitting, reclining or lying) is associated with increased sickness and mortality, and is increasingly recognised as an important health risk.13
In 2022, more than one in 10 (12.1%) of adults aged 18 and over said that they did no physical activity. Likelihood of being sedentary increased with age, with 6.3% of 18–24-year-olds reporting undertaking no physical activity compared with 9.1% of people aged 35–44 and 22.1% of people aged 65–74. More than a quarter of people aged 75 and over reported that they did no physical activity (28.2%).2
Of adults aged 18–64 who worked, nearly half (46.9%) said their time at work was mostly spent sitting.2
Initial content for this page was written by Melanie Nichols, Deakin University and reviewed by Kathryn Backholer and Gary Sacks, Co-Directors at the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition at Deakin University. Data updates were made in 2026 by Obesity Evidence Hub staff. For more information about the approach to content on the site please see About | Obesity Evidence Hub.