World Obesity Atlas 2026

On the occasion of World Obesity Day observed on March 4, the World Obesity Federation released the World Obesity Atlas 2026 highlighting a worrying rise in childhood obesity in India.

According to the report, nearly 15 million children aged 5–9 years and more than 26 million children aged 10–19 years in India were overweight or obese in 2025.

The global body warned that the world is unlikely to meet the 2025 global target of halving the rise in childhood obesity. Although the deadline has now been extended to 2030, many countries—including India—remain off track in addressing the growing health challenge.

Globally, over 200 million school-age children (5–19 years) living with overweight or obesity are concentrated in just 10 countries. By the end of 2025, eight countries were projected to have more than 10 million children with high Body Mass Index (BMI).

Among them:

• China recorded the highest number, with 62 million children having high BMI and 33 million classified as obese.
• India ranked second, with 41 million children having high BMI and 14 million living with obesity.
• The United States followed with 27 million children with high BMI and 13 million with obesity.