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A new UNICEF report reveals that childhood obesity now surpasses underweight globally, affecting 188 million children. From 2000 to 2022, obesity rates in children aged 5-19 more than tripled, rising from 3% to 9.4%, while underweight prevalence decreased. This shift exposes millions to life-threatening diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular issues. The report highlights the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and urges governments to restrict junk food marketing and ban unhealthy products in schools to address this growing health crisis.
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For the first time in history, more children are obese than underweight, a shift UNICEF says is putting millions of kids at risk of life-threatening disease.
The UN agency’s analysis, which covered data from more than 190 countries between 2000 and 2022 and projections since, found that one in 10 school-aged kids — about 188 million worldwide — are obese under World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
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Between 2000 and 2022, global obesity rates among those aged five to 19 more than tripled, jumping from 3% to 9.4%. During the same period, the prevalence of underweight children fell from nearly 13% to 9.2%.
One in 10 children globally are living with obesity, putting them at risk of life-threatening diseases. (iStock)
“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,” she warned.
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The report highlights obesity hotspots and found that levels have doubled since the 2000s, especially in low- and middle-income countries, even as they still struggle with undernutrition, too. In small Pacific Island nations like Niue and the Cook Islands, nearly 40% of young people are obese.
Children still face malnutrition in the form of being both underweight and overweight, according to UNICEF. (iStock)
Meanwhile, in wealthier countries, where ultra-processed foods make up more than half of adolescents’ calories, high levels of obesity persist. Twenty-seven percent of five-to-19-year-olds in Chile are living with obesity, while rates in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates stand at 21%.
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In wealthier nations such as the U.S., doctors are increasingly backing the use of new weight-loss drugs in teenagers as a tool to combat the crisis.
Obesity 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, according to the report.
Obesity has now surpassed underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among young kids, UNICEF warns. (iStock)
MORE IN HEALTH NEWS
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. this week unveiled the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report on childhood health, which warns that ultra-processed foods, sedentary behavior and a host of environmental and dietary factors are fueling rising obesity and chronic disease in American children.Â
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UNICEF is urging governments to take swift action on unhealthy food environments. (iStock)
UNICEF is urging governments worldwide to urgently impose restrictions on junk food marketing and ban unhealthy products in schools.
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