Childhood obesity has overtaken undernutrition as the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, according to a new report from UNICEF that highlights the growing health risks facing children and adolescents. The United Nations agency said 188 million youths are now obese, a figure that exceeds the global number of underweight children for the first time.
Data from more than 190 countries show that over the past 25 years, the number of overweight children has doubled from 194 million to 391 million, with a sharp rise in those classified as obese. UNICEF estimated that in 2022 alone, 8% of children aged five to 19-or 163 million-were obese, up from just 3% in 2000.
"This is a historic turning point," the agency said in its report, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell added, "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."
The findings show striking regional disparities. Obesity rates are highest in some Pacific Island nations, including 38% of youths in Niue, 37% in the Cook Islands, and 33% in Nauru. High-income countries also recorded elevated levels, with 27% of Chilean children and 21% of both U.S. and UAE children classified as obese.
At the same time, underweight prevalence among 5- to 19-year-olds declined from 13% in 2000 to 9.2% in 2022, reflecting progress in reducing hunger. Yet UNICEF emphasized that undernutrition remains a "significant concern" among children under five in low- and middle-income countries, where wasting and stunting remain common.
UNICEF attributed the surge in obesity to the widespread availability of ultra-processed foods and aggressive marketing campaigns targeting 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," Russell said.
Katherine Shats, a UNICEF legal expert in nutrition, told AFP that children "are being bombarded by ... unhealthy food marketing of junk foods," particularly in schools where sugary drinks and salty snacks are readily available. The report stressed that the issue is not one of individual choice alone but "a failure of society to protect the environments that children grow up in."
