Diet and physical activity in Australian children
Few Australian children are meeting guidelines for the recommended daily intake of vegetables, with a high proportion of total daily energy intake coming from discretionary foods. Many children are exceeding recommended limits for consumption of added sugars. Younger children are more physically active than older children, and males have higher levels of activity than females.
Key Evidence
Only 4.6% of Australian children were consuming the recommended daily intake of vegetables in 2022–23
In 2023, children aged 2–17 obtained more than a third (34.9%) of their daily energy intake from discretionary foods
About one-third (33.9%) of 12–17-year-olds consumed sugar-sweetened beverages in 2023, down from two-thirds (67.9%) of this age group in 1995
In 2023, children aged 5–17 who volunteered to have their level of physical activity measured spent an average of four and a half hours a day being active
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, only 4.6% of children aged 2 –17 years met the Australian guidelines for recommended daily serves of vegetables, while 63.9% of children met the guidelines for daily serves of fruit. Only 4.3% of children met the guidelines for both vegetables and fruit, although this varied by age group.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 total daily energy intake from discretionary food and beverages
In 2023, children aged 2–17 obtained an average of 34.9% of their daily energy from discretionary foods, with males (34.6%) and females (35.3%) consuming similar proportions.4 Children aged 2–4 gained the lowest proportion of their average daily energy intake from discretionary foods (27%). This increased to 37.3% in 5–11-year-olds, falling back to 34.9% in 12–17-year-olds.4 Consumption has decreased in all age groups since 2011. This drop was most marked in 12–17-year-olds, from 40.8% in 2011 to 34.9% in 2023.4
Leading discretionary foods among children included takeaway foods such as burgers and pizza, sweet biscuits, cakes and muffins, snack foods, and chocolate and other confectionery.5
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.6
Consuming too many free sugars is associated with poor diets, tooth decay, overweight and obesity, and increased risk of chronic diseases like cancer.6
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting energy from free sugars to less than 10% of daily energy intake.6 For even greater health benefits, the WHO recommends limiting daily free sugar intake to less than 5% of daily energy intake.7
In 2023, average levels of free sugars consumed by children in Australia aged 2–17 accounted for 9.3% of daily energy intake.4 Consumption of free sugars increased with age, with 2–5-year-olds having a lower level (7.4%) than adolescents and teenagers aged 12–17 (10.1%).4 Females consumed a higher average proportion of energy from free sugars than males across all age groups, peaking at 10.7% in 12–17-year-olds, just exceeding WHO guidelines.4
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, 22.3% of children and adolescents aged 2–17 years consumed SSBs.4 Boys (23.1%) were more likely to drink SSBs than girls (21.6%), and at 33.9%, children aged 12–17 had the highest prevalence of all age groups, including adults.4
Consumption of SSBs in children and adolescents has dropped by around two-thirds since 1995, when they were consumed by 67.9% of 2–17-year-olds. In 1995, 70.2% of 5–11-year- olds drank SSBs, compared to fewer than one in five (18.9%) in 2023.4
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption in children aged 2-17 by age and sex, 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).
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
*proportion has high margin of error and should be used with caution
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 2-4 | 7.1 | 1.8* | 5.5 |
| Age 5-11 | 19.4 | 18.9 | 18.9 |
| Age 12-17 | 33.9 | 33.2 | 33.9 |
| Ages 2-17 | 23.1 | 21.6 | 22.3 |
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption in children aged 2-17 by age and sex, 2011-12
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).
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 2-4 | 33.9 | 31.5 | 33 |
| Age 5-11 | 45.3 | 45.8 | 45.3 |
| Age 12-17 | 58.1 | 51.8 | 55.6 |
| Ages 2-17 | 48.1 | 44.8 | 46.5 |
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption in children aged 2-17 by age and sex, 1995
Respondents reporting consumption for the day prior to the survey.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Food and nutrients 2023. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/food-and-nutrients/2023.
| Age | Males | Females | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 2-4 | 63.5 | 65.9 | 64.7 |
| Age 5-11 | 68.9 | 71.7 | 70.2 |
| Age 12-17 | 73.5 | 59.5 | 66.7 |
| Ages 2-17 | 69.5 | 66.1 | 67.9 |
Physical activity
In 2023, children aged 5–17 years who volunteered to wear an accelerometer (which detects change in speed) spent an average of four and a half hours a day being active, and almost 11 hours a day (10 hours and 54 minutes) being inactive, excluding sleeping.8 Of the time spent being active, on average nine minutes per day were spent doing vigorous physical activity and 54 minutes were spent doing moderate physical activity.8 On average, younger children had higher activity levels than older children, and males spent more time doing moderate or vigorous physical activity than females.8
Average time children spent being physically active or inactive, by physical activity level and age, 2023
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Measured physical activity and sleep 2023
Data presented in decimal time. For example, 6 minutes is equal to 0.1 hours.
| Physical activity level | 5–11 years (hours) | 12–17 years (hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate or vigorous physical activity | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Light physical activity | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| Inactivity | 9.7 | 12.2 |
Earlier, self-reported data show that in 2011–12, the proportion of children who did sufficient physical activity declined with age, from 74.9% of children aged 2–3 years to 16.2% of children aged 14–18 doing sufficient physical activity according to the Australian guidelines current at the time.9
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.