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India Confronts Soaring Obesity Rates Across All Age Groups, Warns UNICEF

In India, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in under-five children shot up from 1.5% in 2005-06 to 3.4% in 2019-21 — a growth of 127%. Among adolescents, obesity rose by approximately 125% in girls and 288% in boys; adult obesity increased by 91% in women and 146% in men over the same period. If current trends continue, India could have over 27 million children and adolescents with obesity by 2030, representing about 11% of the global burden.

• By Newsdesk
• New Delhi
• Sep 11, 2025

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India is witnessing a steep increase in obesity among children, adolescents, and adults — a trend that UNICEF calls a mounting national crisis. The findings emerge from its Child Nutrition Global Report 2025, discussed at a recent media roundtable on healthy diets.

For the first time globally, obesity has overtaken undernutrition among school-aged children and teens, according to the report. Some 188 million young people around the world now live with obesity. In South Asia, including India, the rise among 5- to 19-year-olds has nearly quintupled between 2000 and 2022.

In India, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in under-five children shot up from 1.5% in 2005-06 to 3.4% in 2019-21 — a growth of 127%. Among adolescents, obesity rose by approximately 125% in girls and 288% in boys; adult obesity increased by 91% in women and 146% in men over the same period. If current trends continue, India could have over 27 million children and adolescents with obesity by 2030, representing about 11% of the global burden.

The report points to changing diets as a principal cause. India’s consumption of ultra-processed foods has surged—from US$900 million in 2006 to nearly US$38 billion in 2019. Between 2011 and 2021, retail sales of such foods grew at a compound annual growth rate of 13.7%. Other factors exacerbating the rise include aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, increased screen time, and reduced physical activity.

UNICEF warns that this “triple burden” of malnutrition—where obesity joins stunting and micronutrient deficiencies—is putting India’s public health at risk. Experts caution that obesity acquired in early life is hard to reverse and correlates with higher rates of chronic disease. The economic cost is also alarming: in 2019, obesity-related health expenses in India were estimated at US$29 billion (about 1% of GDP), with projections suggesting costs could escalate to US$839 billion (2.5% of GDP) by 2060 unless decisive action is taken.

India has launched several initiatives to tackle the problem, including the Fit India Movement, Eat Right India campaign, POSHAN Abhiyaan, and adoption of WHO-recommended policies to limit trans fats and promote healthy diets in schools. But UNICEF and partners assert that stronger measures are needed: imposing health taxes on high fat, sugar, and salt foods; mandating front-of-pack labels; restricting junk food marketing; and embedding nutrition education more deeply into public programmes.

Without swift policy interventions, India risks undoing years of progress in child health. UNICEF stresses that stricter food labeling, regulation of unhealthy marketing, and nutrition education are vital to safeguarding the health of the nation’s youth.