UNICEF: For first time, more children are obese than underweight worldwide

For the first time in modern history, more children around the world are living with obesity than are underweight, UNICEF said, a shift the agency warned could drive a surge in diabetes, heart disease and other serious conditions among a new generation.

UNICEF’s analysis, covering data from more than 190 countries between 2000 and 2022 and including forward projections, found that about one in 10 school‑aged children — roughly 188 million — are obese by World Health Organization standards. Separately, about one in five children under 19, or an estimated 391 million, are overweight.

The analysis found that between 2000 and 2022 the global obesity rate for those aged five to 19 rose from 3% to 9.4%, more than tripling, while the prevalence of underweight in the same group declined from nearly 13% to 9.2%. UNICEF said obesity is now more common than underweight in nearly every region except South Asia and sub‑Saharan Africa.

The report identified marked hotspots in small Pacific island nations, where nearly 40% of young people are obese, and noted persistently high rates in wealthier countries. Twenty‑seven percent of five‑to‑19‑year‑olds in Chile were reported to be living with obesity; rates in the United States and the United Arab Emirates were each about 21%.

Experts and UNICEF officials pointed to changing food environments, increased availability of ultra‑processed foods and aggressive marketing as drivers of the trend. "When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "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."

UNICEF cited a survey of 64,000 young people in 170 countries showing that 75% had seen advertisements for sugary drinks, snacks or fast food in the prior week. Even in conflict zones, 68% of respondents reported exposure to such advertising. In low‑income countries, 65% said they had seen junk‑food marketing, including at school, on social media, at sporting events and in cartoons.

The agency warned that many low‑ and middle‑income countries are confronting a double burden of malnutrition: persistent undernutrition in parts of the population while obesity rises rapidly in others. In those settings, UNICEF said, diets are shifting toward foods high in salt, sugar and fat.

"Obesity is not a failure of parents or children. It’s the result of toxic food environments," said Chris Van Tulleken, an author and professor who has supported UNICEF’s work. The agency highlighted the role of ultra‑processed foods in wealthier countries, where they account for a majority of adolescent calories, and noted the health consequences tied to obesity, including higher risks of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers later in life.

UNICEF urged governments to impose restrictions on junk‑food marketing to children and to ban the sale or distribution of unhealthy products in schools. The agency cited Mexico’s recent policy banning the sale and distribution of ultra‑processed foods and items high in salt, sugar and fat in public schools as an example of measures being adopted.

In the United States, federal and state officials have flagged the role of ultra‑processed foods and sedentary behavior in rising childhood obesity. A recent U.S. report on childhood health recommended exploring industry guidelines to limit direct advertising of unhealthy foods to children. Some U.S. clinicians and health systems have also been considering the use of newly available weight‑loss medications for adolescents as part of treatment strategies.

UNICEF said that without swift policy action and efforts to reshape food environments, the trend could mean a substantial increase in chronic disease burden in coming decades. The agency called for coordinated global steps to reduce exposure to unhealthy foods, promote nutritious diets and protect children from targeted marketing that it said is contributing to the rise in childhood obesity.