The world is failing to slow the rise in childhood obesity, and India is among the countries facing a sharp increase. According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, released by the World Obesity Federation on World Obesity Day (March 4), global efforts to halt the rise in childhood obesity by 2025 have fallen short. Although the deadline has now been extended to 2030, most countries remain off track, and India is among those struggling to control the trend.

The report shows that millions of Indian children are already overweight or living with obesity. In 2025, around 14.921 million children aged 5-9 years in India were either overweight or obese. Among those aged 10-19 years, the number was even higher at 26.402 million. Overall, India had 41 million children aged 5-19 living with high BMI, including 14 million who were classified as living with obesity.

The global picture is equally concerning. The atlas estimates that more than one in five children worldwide (20.7 per cent) aged 5-19 years are now overweight or living with obesity. This marks a significant increase from 14.6 per cent in 2010. If the trend continues, the World Obesity Federation predicts that 507 million children across the world could be overweight or living with obesity by 2040.

The report also highlights that just 10 countries account for more than 200 million school-age children aged 5-19 living with high BMI. By the end of 2025, eight countries were expected to have more than 10 million children with high BMI, while three countries—China, India and the United States—recorded the highest number of children living with obesity. China leads the list with 62 million children with high BMI and 33 million with obesity, followed by India with 41 million children with high BMI and 14 million with obesity. The United States ranks third with 27 million children with high BMI and 13 million living with obesity, meaning India has now overtaken the US in terms of the number of children aged 5-19 with high BMI.

The atlas also warns that health complications linked to high BMI among Indian children are expected to rise in the coming years. Between 2025 and 2040, cases of BMI-attributed hypertension among children aged 5-19 are projected to increase from 2.99 million to 4.21 million, while hyperglycaemia cases may grow from 1.39 million to 1.91 million. High triglycerides are expected to rise from 4.39 million to 6.07 million, and cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), could increase from 8.39 million to 11.88 million.

The atlas notes that efforts to reduce children’s exposure to obesity risk factors remain insufficient. While obesity was once seen as a problem mainly affecting high-income nations, the fastest growth in overweight and obesity is now being recorded in low- and middle-income countries. Another striking trend is that the number of school-age children living with obesity globally has now surpassed those who are underweight.

According to the World Obesity Federation, stronger measures are needed to reverse these trends. Suggested actions include imposing taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children, especially on digital platforms, encouraging physical activity among young people, protecting breastfeeding, improving nutrition standards in schools, and integrating obesity prevention and care into primary healthcare systems. Experts say such steps are essential if countries hope to slow the growing childhood obesity crisis in the coming years.

Source: World Obesity Atlas 2026