The growing obesity
Obesity is emerging as one of the key challenges in the healthcare sector across India. As of now 24 percent of women and 23 percent of men in the country are obese, which translates to approximately 44 million women and 26 million men.
Notably, India’s obesity crisis is projected to worsen by 2030, with over 163 million Indians potentially obese, including 10.81% of children aged 5-9 years. This alarming trend is attributed to various factors.
An expert group of UNICEF in India highlighted that the country is witnessing a sharp rise in obesity across all age groups due to factors including sedentary lifestyle and a high consumption of ultra-processed foods.
According to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Global Report 2025 released this week, obesity has, for the first time, surpassed underweight globally as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents.
At a UNICEF organised national media round-table on healthy diets held in New Delhi, experts warned that combined with increased screen time, low physical activity, and rising consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and sugary drinks and an increasing exposure of children and adolescents to an unhealthy food environment, the number of obese people is swelling rapidly.
The experts said India is witnessing a sharp rise in overweight and obesity across all age groups — from young children to adults.
Notably, one in ten children worldwide, nearly 188 million, now live with obesity, once considered a condition of affluence, obesity is spreading rapidly in low and middle-income countries, including India.
Countries in South Asia had the lowest prevalence of overweight in 2000, but by 2022, the prevalence increased almost fivefold among children and teenagers aged 5-19.
Ironically, in India, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data shows a sharp surge in overweight and obesity among under-five children, with prevalence rising by 127 per cent (from 1.5 per cent to 3.4 per cent between NFHS-3 in 2005-06 and NFHS-5 in 2019-21).
Among adolescents, overweight and obesity increased by 125 per cent in girls (2.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent) and a striking 288 per cent in boys (1.7 per cent to 6.6 per cent).
In adults, obesity rose by 91 per cent among women (12.6 per cent to 24.0 per cent) and 146 per cent among men (9.3 per cent to 22.9 per cent), pointing to a nationwide health crisis.
By 2030, India is expected to be home to over 27 million children and adolescents (5-19 years) living with obesity, accounting for 11 per cent of the global burden. What is tragic to note is that foods — high in fat, sugar, and salt — are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables, and traditional diets, while aggressive marketing campaigns and their easy availability are shaping food choices.
Even the Child Nutrition Report points to early life factors contributing to rising obesity, including inadequate maternal nutrition, insufficient breast-feeding, and poor childhood dietary practices.
To counter the rising trend of obesity experts have recommended policies such as health taxes on high-fat, sugar, and salt foods along with front-of-pack nutrition labelling, restrictions on junk food marketing, double-duty actions in public-funded programmes, and improved nutrition literacy among children and youth.
This may seem an uphill task but the gravity of the situation demands immediate action.
