World Obesity Federation says 2025 childhood obesity target to be missed; India records 41 million school-age children with high BMI

The World Obesity Federation has warned that the world is set to miss the 2025 global target to halt the rise in childhood obesity. The organisation, which works as a partner to global agencies on obesity including the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that despite the deadline being extended to 2030, most countries remain off track, including India.

According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, released on World Obesity Day on 4 March, 14.921 million children aged 5–9 years and more than 26.402 million children aged 10–19 years in India were overweight or obese in 2025.

The top 10 countries account for over 200 million school-age children aged 5–19 years with high BMI. By the end of 2025, eight countries were projected to have more than 10 million children with high BMI. China, India and the United States each had over 10 million children living with obesity. China recorded 62 million children with high BMI and 33 million with obesity, followed by India with 41 million with high BMI and 14 million with obesity, and the United States with 27 million with high BMI and 13 million with obesity.

In India, from 2025 to 2040, children aged 5–19 years with disease indicators attributed to high BMI are projected to rise. BMI-attributed hypertension is projected to increase 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; and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), from 8.39 million to 11.88 million.

The Atlas identified key preventable risk factors across age groups in India. It reported that 74 per cent of adolescents aged 11–17 do not meet recommended physical activity levels. Only 35.5 per cent of school-age children receive school meals. It stated that 32.6 per cent of infants aged 1–5 months experience sub-optimal breastfeeding. Among women aged 15–49 years, 13.4 per cent are exposed to high BMI and 4.2 per cent live with Type 2 diabetes. Children aged 6–10 consume an average of 0–50 ml of sugary drinks per day.

The Atlas found that 20.7 per cent of 5–19 year-olds worldwide are living with obesity and overweight, compared to 14.6 per cent in 2010. The Federation predicts that by 2040, 507 million children will be living with obesity or overweight.

It stated that childhood obesity and overweight are linked to conditions including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. By 2040, over 57 million children are projected to show early signs of cardiovascular disease, indicated by high triglycerides, while over 43 million are projected to show signs of hypertension.

The Atlas reported that action to address childhood obesity remains inadequate worldwide, with many countries falling short across prevention, monitoring, screening and management policies.

The Federation stated that action is required to reverse current trends, including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, restrictions on marketing to children including digital platforms, implementation of physical activity recommendations for children, protection of breastfeeding, school food standards, and integration of prevention and care into primary health systems.

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.”

“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.”

The Atlas stated that action to reduce children’s exposure to obesity risk factors remains inadequate. It reported that while obesity was previously associated with higher-income countries, increases in the prevalence of obesity and overweight are now occurring most rapidly in low and middle-income countries.

Globally, the number of school-age children living with obesity now exceeds those living with underweight.

The World Obesity Atlas 2026 presents childhood obesity prevalence projections for 2025 to 2040 alongside age-standardised prevalence estimates published by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration Group for 196 countries.