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One in five children and adolescents aged five to 19 years globally, numbering 391 million, are overweight, with a large proportion of them now classified as living with obesity, UNICEF has warned in a new report.
The Child Nutrition Report 2025, which was released on Wednesday, September 10, said obesity rates had increased from three to 9.4 per cent, adding that obesity had now exceeded underweight in all regions of the world, except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The report, drawn on data from over 190 countries and includes household surveys, modelled estimates, projections and polls, found the prevalence of underweight among children aged five to 19 had declined since 2000, from nearly 13 per cent to 9.2 per cent.
It said while undernutrition, such as wasting and stunting, remained a significant concern among children under five in most low- and middle-income countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was increasing among school-aged children and adolescents.
“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children.
Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children.
Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health,” the report quoted UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell.
UNICEF is the United Nations agency for children, and it works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach.
Across more than 190 countries and territories, it does whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive and fulfil their potential.
Children are considered overweight when they are significantly heavier than what is healthy for their age, sex and height. Obesity is a severe form of overweight and leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and high blood pressure, as well as life-threatening diseases later in life, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
The report said several Pacific Island countries had the highest prevalence of obesity globally, including 38 per cent of five to 19-year-olds in Niue, 37 per cent in the Cook Islands, and 33 per cent in Nauru.
These levels, it added, which had all doubled since 2000, were largely driven by a shift from traditional diets to cheap, energy-dense, imported foods.
It said many high-income countries continued to have high levels of obesity, for example, 27 per cent of five to 19-year-olds in Chile were living with obesity, 21 per cent in the United States, and 21 per cent in the United Arab Emirates.
The report warned that ultra-processed and fast foods – high in sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats and additives – were shaping children’s diets through unhealthy food environments, rather than personal choice.
These products, it explained, dominated shops and schools, while digital marketing gave the food and beverage industry powerful access to young audiences.
It said without interventions to prevent childhood overweight and obesity, countries could face lifetime health and economic impacts exceeding, for example, US$210 billion in Peru, due to obesity-related health issues.
By 2035, it said the global economic impact of overweight and obesity was expected to surpass US$4 trillion annually.
To transform food environments and ensure children have access to nutritious diets, UNICEF called on governments, civil society, and partners to urgently implement comprehensive mandatory policies to improve children’s food environments, including food labelling, food marketing restrictions, and food taxes and subsidies.
“Ban the provision or sale of ultra-processed and junk foods in schools and prohibit food marketing and sponsorship in schools.
Establish strong safeguards to protect public policy processes from interference by the ultra-processed food industry. Strengthen social protection programmes to address income poverty and improve financial access to nutritious diets for vulnerable families,” it said.
