NEW DELHI: India ranks second globally for children living with overweight and obesity, with estimates indicating that by 2040, as many as 20 million children in the age group of 5-9 years will be living with obesity, and 56 million in the same age group will be living with overweight, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026.
Commemorating World Obesity Day, observed on March 4, the Atlas released by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) said that at least 120 million school-age children globally are expected to have early signs of chronic diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease due to overweight and obesity by 2040.
The WOF, the only global organisation focused exclusively on obesity and a lead partner to global agencies on obesity, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), predicted that by 2040, a total of 507 million children will be living with obesity or be overweight globally.
The Atlas said that more than one in five (20.7 per cent) 5-19 year-olds worldwide are living with obesity and are overweight - an increase from 14.6 per cent in 2010.
They also called for greater emphasis on monitoring of and action on obesity, including sugar levies and marketing restrictions.
The figures for India are stark.
It said that 14.921 million children aged 5-9 years and more than 26.402 million children aged 10-19 in India were overweight or obese in 2025.
In India, from 2025 to 2040, children aged 5-19 years with disease indicators attributed to high Body Mass Index (BMI) is projected to rise substantially, including BMI-attributed hypertension increasing 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 listed key preventable risk factors across all age groups in India. It said 74% of adolescents aged 11–17 fail to meet recommended physical activity levels; while only 35.5% of school-age children (primary and secondary) receive school meals.
What is worrying is that children aged 6-10 consume an average of 0–50 ml of sugary drinks per day.
Also, 32.6% of infants aged 1–5 months experience suboptimal breastfeeding.
It said 13.4% of women aged 15–49 are exposed to high BMI; while 4.2% of women aged 15–49 live with Type 2 diabetes
China tops the ten countries that alone account for 200 million school-age children in the age group of 5-19 years with high BMI and obesity. China leads in both categories, with 62 million children with high BMI and 33 million with only obesity, followed by India (41 million high BMI; 14 million obesity) and the US (27 million high BMI; 13 million obesity). The other seven countries are Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Atlas said that by the end of 2025, China, India, and the US each had over 10 million children living with obesity.
The report also warned that the world was set to miss the 2025 global target to halt the rise in childhood obesity. Though the deadline has now extended to 2030, most countries remain off track, and India is no exception.
Childhood obesity and overweight lead to similar conditions as seen in adults, including hypertension and cardiovascular disease: it is estimated that by 2040, over 57 million children will show early signs of cardiovascular disease (High triglycerides), while over 43 million will show signs of hypertension.
The Atlas shows how action to address childhood obesity remains inadequate worldwide, with many countries falling short across the spectrum of policies needed for prevention, monitoring, screening and management.
The WOF said that strong action is required to reverse current trends, including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, restrictions on marketing to children (including digital platforms), implementation of global physical activity recommendations for children, protection of breastfeeding, healthier school food standards, and integration of prevention and care into primary health systems.
"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," said Johanna Ralston, chief executive of WOF.
"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."
Action to reduce children’s exposure to obesity risk factors remains inadequate, the Atlas said.
While obesity has previously been 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. While obesity has previously been associated with higher-income countries, increases in the prevalence of obesity and overweight are now occurring most rapidly in low and middle-income countries.