New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- India is experiencing a sharp surge in obesity across all age groups, fuelled by rising consumption of ultra-processed foods, declining physical activity, and prolonged screen time, experts from UNICEF India said on Thursday.
The warning comes alongside the release of UNICEF's Child Nutrition Global Report 2025, which revealed that, for the first time, obesity has overtaken underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents worldwide.
According to the report, one in ten children across the globe - around 188 million - are now living with obesity. The condition, once associated primarily with wealthier populations, is spreading rapidly in low- and middle-income countries, including India. In South Asia, overweight prevalence among children and teenagers aged 5-19 was the lowest globally in 2000. By 2022, however, rates in the region had risen nearly fivefold.
Data from India's National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) highlight the steep rise in obesity within the country. Among children under five, overweight prevalence grew by 127 per cent-from 1.5 per cent in 2005-06 to 3.4 per cent in 2019-21.
Among adolescents, the increase has been even more striking. Overweight and obesity rose by 125 per cent among girls (from 2.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent) and by 288 per cent among boys (from 1.7 per cent to 6.6 per cent) over the same period.
In adults, prevalence nearly doubled in women (12.6 per cent to 24.0 per cent) and more than doubled in men (9.3 per cent to 22.9 per cent). Experts warned that by 2030, India could have more than 27 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 living with obesity, accounting for 11 per cent of the global burden.
"India is beginning to face the triple burden of malnutrition-undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity-often coexisting in the same household or even the same individual," said Marie-Claude Desilets, Chief of Nutrition at UNICEF India, during a national media round-table on healthy diets. "The country has a unique opportunity to act now to prevent the next generation from slipping into lifelong health challenges." The Indian Economic Survey 2024-25 identified ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as a major contributor to the epidemic. Retail consumption of these products - high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats - has grown rapidly. Sales jumped from USD 900 million in 2006 to USD 37.9 billion in 2019, an annual growth rate of over 33 per cent. Between 2011 and 2021, UPF sales expanded at a compound annual rate of 13.7 per cent.
Experts noted that these products are increasingly replacing traditional diets rich in fruits and vegetables. Aggressive marketing, particularly through digital platforms, and easy availability have also shaped consumer choices. UNICEF's global U-Report poll found that over two-thirds of young people are exposed to unhealthy food promotions, with 75 per cent reporting they had seen advertisements for sugary drinks, fast food, or snacks in just the week prior to the survey. "With this high level of media exposure and easy access to unhealthy food, India is following global trends in the rapid increase of childhood and adolescent obesity," Desilets said.
Health experts warned that obesity established in childhood or adolescence often persists into adulthood, making it one of the hardest conditions to reverse. "The economic and psychological impacts are severe, ranging from household financial strain to social stigma and low self-esteem," said Dr William Joe, Assistant Professor at Delhi's Institute of Economic Growth. He noted that obesity significantly raises the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and some cancers.
The financial burden is equally concerning. The World Obesity Federation estimated India's obesity-related costs at nearly USD 29 billion in 2019-about 1 per cent of GDP. Without urgent intervention, this figure could soar to USD 839 billion, or 2.5 per cent of GDP, by 2060. Poor diets are now the leading factor behind India's disease burden, accounting for 56 per cent, according to the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition.
The government has rolled out a number of programmes to address the crisis. These include the Fit India Movement, Eat Right India campaign, and POSHAN Abhiyaan 2.0, alongside school-based health and wellness initiatives. Regulations to curb sugar and oil consumption, as well as restrictions on industrial trans fats, have also been introduced. India is the first lower-middle-income country to adopt the World Health Organisation's best-practice policy on trans-fat elimination.
Partners such as the "Let's Fix Our Food" consortium, led by ICMR-NIN and UNICEF, have recommended further steps: health taxes on high-fat, sugar, and salt foods; front-of-pack nutrition labelling; stricter rules on junk food advertising; and improved nutrition literacy for children and youth.
"Malnutrition today is no longer just about undernutrition," said Arjan De Wagt, UNICEF India's Deputy Representative for Programmes. "The rapid rise of obesity, driven by unhealthy food and beverage consumption, is already fuelling non-communicable diseases among children and young people."
The Child Nutrition Global Report 2025 also points to early life conditions that influence obesity risk, such as inadequate maternal nutrition, insufficient breastfeeding, and poor childhood dietary practices. Social and gender norms often compound the problem, with adolescent girls and women frequently eating least and last in households.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.