UNICEF Report Highlights Rising Obesity in India

• 12 Sep 2025

On 12th September 2025, UNICEF’s released Child Nutrition Global Report 2025, which revealed that obesity has for the first time surpassed underweight globally as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents.

Key Points

• Global Findings: Nearly 188 million children worldwide (1 in 10) are living with obesity. South Asia had the lowest prevalence in 2000, but by 2022 rates increased almost fivefold in children aged 5–19 years.
• India’s Rising Numbers (NFHS Data): Under-five overweight prevalence rose by 127% (1.5% → 3.4%); adolescent girls by 125% (2.4% → 5.4%); adolescent boys by 288% (1.7% → 6.6%); women by 91% (12.6% → 24.0%); men by 146% (9.3% → 22.9%).
• Future Projections: By 2030, over 27 million Indian children and adolescents (5–19 years) are expected to live with obesity, accounting for 11% of the global burden.
• Drivers of the Epidemic: Ultra-processed food sales surged from $900 million (2006) to $37.9 billion (2019).
• Triple Burden of Malnutrition: India faces the coexistence of undernutrition (stunting, wasting), micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity in the same households.
• Government Interventions: Fit India Movement, Eat Right India, POSHAN Abhiyaan 2.0, and school-based health programmes are ongoing.