World Obesity Atlas 2026

• 05 Mar 2026

Source: TH

Why in News?

The World Obesity Atlas 2026, released by the World Obesity Federation on World Obesity Day (4th March), reveals alarming statistics for India, highlighting a growing public health emergency.

What are the Key Findings of the World Obesity Atlas 2026?

About

• The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that poses health risks, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or above classified as overweight and 30 or above as obese.

Key Findings

• Obesity Prevalence: 
  • Global: China, India, and the United States each have over 10 million children living with obesity, with China leading (62 million high Body Mass Index (BMI), 33 million obesity), followed by India, and the US (27 million high BMI, 13 million obesity cases). Among women (15-49 years), 13.4% have high BMI and 4.2% live with Type 2 diabetes.
    • Over 200 million school-age children aged 5 to 19 living with overweight and obesity are concentrated in just 10 countries across the world.
  • India: Nearly 15 million children aged five to nine years and more than 26 million children aged 10 to 19 years in India were overweight or obese in 2025. It positions India as having the 2nd-highest number of children with high BMI (41 million).
    • The number of Indian children aged 5 to 19 with disease indicators linked to high BMI is projected to rise substantially from 2025 to 2040.
• Health Consequences (2025-2040): Cases of BMI-related hypertension are expected to increase from 2.99 million to 4.21 million, hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) from 1.39 million to 1.91 million, high triglycerides from 4.39 million to 6.07 million, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) from 8.39 million to 11.88 million.
• Preventable Risk Factors: Key contributors include 74% of adolescents (11-17 years) failing to meet physical activity recommendations, only 35.5% receiving school meals, 32.6% of infants (1-5 months) experiencing sub-optimal breastfeeding, and children aged 6-10 consuming up to 50 ml of sugary drinks daily..
• Global Trends and Warnings: The world is set to miss the 2025 target to halve childhood obesity rise (now extended to 2030). Currently, 20.7% of children aged 5-19 worldwide are overweight/obese (up from 14.6% in 2010), with projections of 507 million affected children by 2040 and over 57 million showing early cardiovascular disease signs.

Policy Recommendations

• The report has called for urgent government intervention including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, restrictions on marketing to children (including digital platforms), implementation of global physical activity recommendations, protection of breastfeeding, healthier school food standards, and integration of prevention and care into primary health systems.

Body Mass Index

• About: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a screening tool used to estimate body fat based on height and weight, helping categorize individuals into weight status categories.
• Calculation Method: BMI is calculated using the formula weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters (BMI = weight (kg) ÷ [height (m)]²).
• BMI Classifications (WHO Standards): 
  • Adult BMI: The standard categories for adults (20+ years) are Underweight (<18.5), Healthy/Normal (18.5-24.9), Overweight (25.0-29.9), and Obesity (≥30.0). Obesity is subdivided into Class I (30.0-34.9), Class II (35.0-39.9), and Class III (≥40.0) indicating very high risk.
  • Children and Adolescents: For those under 20 years, BMI is interpreted using age- and sex-specific percentiles. It is Underweight (<5th percentile), Healthy weight (5th to <85th percentile), Overweight (85th to <95th percentile), Obesity (≥95th percentile), and Severe obesity (≥120% of 95th percentile or BMI ≥35).
• Health Implications and Usage: BMI categories correlate with health risks — higher BMI increases risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other metabolic disorders. 
  • However, health professionals recommend using waist circumference, body composition analysis, and other clinical assessments alongside BMI for comprehensive health evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

BMI is a screening tool calculated as weight (kg) ÷ height (m)², used to classify underweight, normal, overweight, and obesity categories based on WHO standards.

2. What are the projected health risks of high BMI ?

Rising cases of hypertension, hyperglycaemia, high triglycerides, and MASLD, increasing future cardiovascular and metabolic disease burden.

3. What is India's ranking in childhood obesity according to the World Obesity Atlas 2026?

India ranks second globally after China, with 41 million children having high BMI and 14 million classified as obese in 2025, surpassing the United States and other Western nations

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Q. Which of the following is/are the indicators/ indicators used by IFPRI to compute the Global Hunger Index Report? (2016)

1. Undernourishment
2. Child stunting
3. Child mortality

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 3 only

Ans: (c)