{"id":1306813,"date":"2026-03-05T08:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1306813"},"modified":"2026-03-05T08:31:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:01:21","slug":"india-now-has-more-obese-children-than-us-uk-japan-1-in-world-only-after-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/india-now-has-more-obese-children-than-us-uk-japan-1-in-world-only-after-china\/","title":{"rendered":"India Now Has More Obese Children Than US, UK, Japan: #1 In World Only After China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>India is facing a growing public health challenge as the country now ranks <strong>second in the world for childhood obesity<\/strong>, according to the <strong>World Obesity Atlas 2026<\/strong>. The report highlights a worrying rise in the number of children and teenagers living with excess weight, placing India behind only China in global rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-33-1280x720-1-1024x576-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1306818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-33-1280x720-1-1024x576-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-33-1280x720-1-1024x576-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Untitled-design-33-1280x720-1-1024x576-1-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Health experts say the trend could lead to a surge in chronic diseases among young people if immediate preventive measures are not taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">India\u2019s Childhood Obesity Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The report estimates that <strong>around 41 million Indian children aged <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/health-wellness\/india-us-childhood-obesity-second-only-china-children-country-global-report-10564105\/\">5\u201319 were living with high body mass index <\/a>(BMI) in 2025<\/strong>, including <strong>about 14 million children classified as obese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Breaking down the figures further:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>14.9 million children aged 5\u20139 years<\/strong> were overweight or obese.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More than 26 million adolescents aged 10\u201319 years<\/strong> were also affected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These numbers place India ahead of the United States in terms of total affected children, primarily due to the country\u2019s large population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the Global Picture Looks Like<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The obesity crisis is not limited to India. Globally, <strong>more than one in five children aged 5\u201319 are now overweight or obese<\/strong>, a significant increase from 2010 levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>China remains the country with the highest number of children with high BMI, followed by India and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts warn that if current trends continue, <strong>over 507 million children worldwide could be overweight or obese by 2040<\/strong>, creating enormous pressure on healthcare systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Health Risks for Children<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Childhood obesity is not just about weight\u2014it significantly increases the risk of serious health problems. According to experts, overweight children are more likely to develop conditions such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High blood pressure (hypertension)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type-2 diabetes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cardiovascular diseases<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fatty liver disease<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These illnesses were once considered adult diseases but are increasingly being diagnosed in younger populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Projections for 2040<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The report warns that by <strong>2040, nearly 20 million children in India could be living with obesity<\/strong>, while <strong>about 56 million may be overweight or obese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, millions of children could develop early signs of health problems related to high BMI, including hypertension, high triglycerides and metabolic disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Childhood Obesity Is Rising<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Doctors and public health experts point to several factors driving the surge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increased consumption of <strong>processed foods and sugary drinks<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sedentary lifestyles<\/strong> and reduced physical activity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Higher screen time from smartphones, gaming and streaming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods targeted at children<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Lifestyle changes in urban and semi-urban areas have played a significant role in the shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Growing Public Health Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>India has traditionally battled undernutrition, but experts say the country now faces a <strong>\u201cdouble burden\u201d of malnutrition<\/strong>, where undernutrition and obesity exist simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To curb the trend, specialists are calling for stronger policies such as <strong>restrictions on junk-food marketing, better food labelling, sugar taxes, and initiatives encouraging physical activity among children<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If these measures are implemented effectively, experts believe the rising tide of childhood obesity can still be reversed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India is facing a growing public health challenge as the country now ranks second in the world for childhood obesity, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026. The report highlights a worrying rise in the number of children and teenagers living with excess weight, placing India behind only China in global rankings. Health experts say [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1306818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[9517,9516],"class_list":["post-1306813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-childnre","tag-obese-kids"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>India Now Has More Obese Children Than US, UK, Japan: #1 In World Only After China - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/india-now-has-more-obese-children-than-us-uk-japan-1-in-world-only-after-china\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India Now Has More Obese Children Than US, UK, Japan: #1 In World Only After China - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"India is facing a growing public health challenge as the country now ranks second in the world for childhood obesity, according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026. 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