India overtook the U.S. in childhood obesity and is now second globally after China. A report published in the World Obesity Atlas 2026 on World Obesity Day (March 4), revealed shocking facts about children’s health in India. Nearly 15 million children aged five to nine and more than 26 million children aged 10 to 19 in India were obese or overweight. Children aged 5-19 years with disease indicators attributed to high BMI are projected to rise substantially from 2025 to 2040. India’s numbers were: 41 million high BMI; 14 million obesity, whereas China stood at: 62 million children with high BMI and 33 million with obesity. The U.S. had 27 million children with high BMI and 13 million with obesity.
The report has indicated serious health consequences in children, which may aggravate with increasing age. The Atlas pointed out that in India, the number of children with disease indicators linked to high BMI is projected to rise substantially by 2040. The top 10 countries alone account for over 200 million school-age children with high BMI. Globally, the number of children overweight outweighs the number of children under weight. Obesity was earlier associated with high-income countries, but now lower-and middle-income countries have also fallen into the trap of obesity.
This report should be an eye-opener for the government and the citizens. The increase in
childhood obesity worldwide shows we have failed to take seriously a disease that affects one in five children. Government urgently needs to make laws and regulations to prevent and manage obesity. It has called for strong actions to reverse the trend and make our country the world a healthier place to live in.
