Childhood obesity on the rise: India ranks 2nd worldwide, report finds

A new global report places India second worldwide for children living with overweight and obesity and warns that rising BMI levels could trigger early hypertension, heart diseases

Childhood obesity is rising rapidly across the world, and India is now among the countries carrying the heaviest burden. The World Obesity Atlas 2026, released by the World Obesity Federation, ranks India second globally for the number of children living with overweight and obesity, a trend experts warn could shape the country’s future health landscape.

 

Released on World Obesity Day, the report places India among the top 10 countries contributing to the global childhood obesity burden and cautions that without urgent action, millions more children could develop early signs of chronic diseases in the coming years.

 

India’s position in the World Obesity Atlas

 

According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, nearly 14.9 million children aged 5-9 years and more than 26.4 million aged 10-19 years in India were living with overweight or obesity in 2025.

 

 

The top 10 countries alone account for over 200 million school-age children with high Body Mass Index. China leads the list, followed by India and the United States. In 2025 alone, around 41 million school-age children in India were estimated to have high BMI, highlighting the scale of the country’s childhood obesity challenge.

 

Globally, more than one in five children aged 5-19 are living with overweight or obesity, and this has risen sharply from 14.6 per cent in 2010 to 20.7 per cent in 2025. By 2040, the report predicts that 507 million children worldwide could be affected.

 

Obesity - A rising health crisis in India

 

The Atlas projects that by 2040, 20 million children in India will be living with obesity, and 56 million will be living with overweight and obesity. Even more troubling is the surge in disease indicators linked to high BMI. Between 2025 and 2040 in India:

 

• BMI-attributed hypertension is projected to rise from 2.99 million to 4.21 million
• Hyperglycaemia from 1.39 million to 1.91 million
• High triglycerides from 4.39 million to 6.07 million
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease from 8.39 million to 11.88 million

 

The report also estimates that at least 120 million school-age children globally could show early signs of chronic diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease by 2040 because of overweight and obesity.

 

Childhood obesity often leads to the same conditions seen in adults, including cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, and early onset increases lifelong health risks.

 

Why is the burden growing?

 

The Atlas highlights that action to address childhood obesity remains inadequate worldwide, and many countries are falling short across prevention, monitoring and care.

 

In India, several preventable risk factors are contributing to the crisis:

 

• 74 per cent of adolescents aged 11-17 fail to meet recommended physical activity levels
• Only 35.5 per cent of school-age children receive school meals
• 32.6 per cent of infants aged 1-5 months experience sub-optimal breastfeeding
• 13.4 per cent of women aged 15-49 are exposed to high BMI
• 4.2 per cent of women aged 15-49 live with Type 2 diabetes

 

The Federation notes that while obesity was once associated primarily with higher-income countries, the most rapid increases are now seen in low and middle-income nations, including India. In fact, the number of school-age children living with obesity globally now exceeds those living with underweight.

 

Johanna Ralston, Chief Executive of the World Obesity Federation, said, “The increase in childhood obesity worldwide shows we have failed to take seriously a disease that affects one in five children. Governments urgently need to step up prevention and management efforts for children living with overweight and obesity, and ensure that they receive the care they need”.

 

What needs to change

 

The World Obesity Federation is calling for strong and coordinated action, including:

 

• Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages
• Restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, including on digital platforms
• Implementation of global physical activity recommendations
• Protection and promotion of breastfeeding
• Healthier school food standards
• Integration of obesity prevention and care into primary health systems

 

Ralston further stressed that policies known to work must be implemented without delay. “We need to implement policies to create healthy environments, whether children are at home, school or out and about. We know that taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks and limits on advertising unhealthy food to children work, alongside greater access to physical activity and monitoring that starts in primary care. There is no reason to hesitate in bringing these about: it is not right to condemn a generation to obesity and the chronic and potentially fatal non-communicable diseases that often go with it,” she said.     

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This report is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.