By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
A new UNICEF report has raised alarm over the rapid rise in childhood obesity, warning that one in ten school-aged children and adolescents worldwide, about 188 million, are now living with the condition.
The report, ‘Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children’, shows that obesity has overtaken underweight as the more common form of malnutrition, driven largely by the spread of ultra-processed foods and aggressive marketing by the food industry.
Data from more than 190 countries reveal that while underweight among 5- to 19-year-olds has fallen since 2000 — from nearly 13% to 9.2%, obesity rates have more than tripled, climbing from 3% to 9.4%. Outside of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, obesity now exceeds underweight in every region of the world.
Some Pacific Island nations are reporting the highest rates globally, with obesity affecting 38% of children in Niue, 37% in the Cook Islands, and 33% in Nauru, levels that have doubled in just two decades. High-income nations are also struggling: 27% of children in Chile, 21% in the United States, and 21% in the United Arab Emirates are obese.
Overall, one in five children and adolescents worldwide, or 391 million, are overweight, with nearly half falling into the obesity category. UNICEF warns this is fueling a future health crisis, with affected children facing greater risks of type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers later in life.
The agency stresses that the crisis is not about personal choice but about environments dominated by unhealthy food options. Ultra-processed and fast foods high in sugar, refined starch, and salt now crowd schools and shops, while digital marketing ensures children are constant targets of unhealthy food promotion.
