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New Delhi: India is witnessing a rapid rise in overweight and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults, according to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Global Report 2025.
The findings were discussed today at a national media roundtable on healthy diets organized by UNICEF.
For the first time, the report notes, obesity has surpassed underweight globally as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents.
Nearly 188 million children worldwide now live with obesity. South Asia, including India, has recorded one of the steepest increases, with prevalence among 5 to 19-year-olds rising nearly fivefold between 2000 and 2022.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), overweight and obesity among India’s under-five children rose by 127 per cent between 2005–06 and 2019–21, climbing from 1.5 per cent to 3.4 per cent.
Among adolescents, obesity prevalence increased by 125 per cent in girls and 288 per cent in boys. Adult prevalence rose by 91 per cent in women and 146 per cent in men during the same period. By 2030, India is projected to have more than 27 million children and adolescents living with obesity, accounting for 11 per cent of the global burden.
The report identifies dietary shifts as a key driver, highlighting the surge in ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption in India, from USD 900 million in 2006 to USD 37.9 billion in 2019. Between 2011 and 2021, retail sales of UPFs grew at a CAGR of 13.7 per cent. Aggressive marketing, longer screen time, and declining physical activity are compounding the crisis.
UNICEF’s U-Report poll revealed that more than two-thirds of adolescents worldwide are exposed to unhealthy food marketing, with social media being the primary channel.
Marie-Claude Desilets, Chief of Nutrition at UNICEF India, said the country is beginning to face the “triple burden of malnutrition” — stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity.
Dr. William Joe from the Institute of Economic Growth emphasized the economic impact, noting that once obesity is established in childhood, it is difficult to reverse and significantly increases the risk of non-communicable diseases.
According to the World Obesity Federation, obesity-related costs in India were estimated at USD 29 billion in 2019 (1 per cent of GDP) and could rise to USD 839 billion (2.5 per cent of GDP) by 2060 without urgent intervention.
India has introduced several initiatives such as the Fit India Movement, Eat Right India campaign, and POSHAN Abhiyaan. The country has also adopted WHO’s best-practice policy to limit trans-fat and promoted healthier diets through programmes like Eat Right Schools.
The Let’s Fix Our Food consortium, led by ICMR-NIN and UNICEF, has recommended stronger actions, including health taxes on foods high in fat, sugar, and salt; mandatory front-of-pack labelling; restrictions on junk food marketing; and better integration of nutrition interventions into public programmes.
Arjan De Wagt, UNICEF India’s Deputy Representative for Programmes, warned that without urgent policy action, India risks reversing hard-won gains in child health. He stressed the importance of stricter food labelling, tighter regulation of unhealthy food marketing, and nutrition education for children and youth to safeguard the right to good nutrition.
- Published On Sep 11, 2025 at 03:25 PM IST
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