Sedentary lifestyles are costing the global economy $67.5bn (£51bn, €60bn) a year in healthcare and productivity losses – and developed nations are bearing the brunt of the inactivity epidemic.

A study of one million people, undertaken by an international team of researchers, estimates that the overall cost of inactivity on healthcare systems internationally is US$53.8bn, while a further US$13.7bn is lost through diminished productivity.

The results of the study, published in the medical journal Lancet this week, show that high-income countries bear a larger proportion of the economic burden caused by physical inactivity – with 81 per cent of the global health-care costs and 60.4 per cent of indirect costs picked up by developed nations.

According to Ulf Ekelund from the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences – one of the report’s authors – tackling the effects of sedentary lifestyles needs a partnership approach.

“Physical inactivity is a global pandemic that causes not only morbidity and mortality, but is also a major economic burden worldwide,” he says. “Low-income and middle-income countries share the largest disease burden from physical inactivity, but a much smaller proportion of the economic burden.

“A global pandemic requires global collaboration to fully understand its effect, develop solutions, and mobilise change.

“Results from this study could be used to inform global policy and practice in physical activity related areas.”

The findings are part of a four-paper series, first launched ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Other findings from the study include the revelation that sitting for at least eight hours a day can increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent – resulting in the recommendation that office workers exercise for at least one hour each day in order to offset the serious risks their sedentary lifestyle poses to their health.