For the first time, global health experts warn that more children are obese than underweight, as ultra-processed junk food increasingly dominates childhood diets.
According to a new UN report, an estimated 188 million school-age children and teenagers—roughly one in ten—are now living with obesity. UNICEF noted that this surge poses serious risks to health and development, with long-term consequences including life-threatening diseases.
“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF. “Obesity is a growing concern. Ultra-processed food [UPF] 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.”
The report revealed that 9.4% of young people between the ages of five and 19 are obese, while 9.2% remain underweight. Back in 2000, nearly 13% were underweight and only 3% were obese, showing how drastically the balance has shifted in two decades.
Obesity has overtaken underweight as the leading form of malnutrition in nearly every region, except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Even in countries where many children still struggle with wasting or stunting due to hunger, obesity is on the rise. The research, compiled in Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, drew on data from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and more than 190 countries.
The findings also showed that one in five children and teens are overweight, with an increasing proportion crossing into obesity—42% in 2022 compared with just 30% in 2000. The sharpest increases were recorded in low- and middle-income countries, where modern retail chains, online grocery services, and food delivery apps have made ultra-processed foods cheaper and more accessible than fresh produce or minimally processed alternatives.
Pacific Island nations had the highest rates, reflecting a rapid move from traditional diets to imported, calorie-dense processed foods. In Niue, 38% of children between five and 19 are obese, and in the Cook Islands the figure stands at 37%. High-income countries also show worrying levels, including Chile (27%), the US (21%), and the United Arab Emirates (21%). In the UK, the percentage of overweight children edged up from 29% in 2000 to 30% in 2022, with obesity climbing from 9% to 11%.
Experts warn that childhood obesity raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer later in life. Ultra-processed foods—including cereals, fizzy drinks, biscuits, cakes, and ready meals—are high in added sugar, salt, and fats, while being aggressively marketed to children and parents. The report stressed that such products now “dominate shops and schools” and are promoted so heavily online that avoiding them has become nearly impossible.
Nomathemba Chandiwana, chief scientific officer at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation in South Africa, highlighted the double challenge her country faces. “We often only think of malnutrition here as underweight or stunting, but obesity has the same long-term consequences. About one in eight children are overweight or have obesity, while one in four are stunted. That double burden is shaping a generation’s health,” she said, pointing to “relentless” fast-food marketing even in schools.
“It’s really tough trying to tackle both undernutrition and obesity at the same time. South Africa is a middle-income country, but still deeply unequal. Many children grow up both hungry and surrounded by cheap, poor-quality food. Most of the attention and resources go to undernutrition and stunting in the early years, which of course matters, but obesity isn’t always seen as malnutrition, so it slips under the radar,” she added.
The economic impact is also significant. The World Obesity Federation has projected that by 2035, the combined global cost of overweight and obesity will exceed $4 trillion annually.
The report highlighted positive measures, such as Mexico’s nationwide ban on the sale and distribution of ultra-processed food in schools. However, it warned that “the unethical business practices of the ultra-processed food and beverage industry undermine efforts to put legal measures and policies in place to protect children from unhealthy food environments.”
UNICEF has called on governments worldwide to take stronger action, including the use of taxes, subsidies, labelling, and marketing restrictions. It recommended banning junk food sales and advertising in schools, improving programs that help low-income families afford nutritious meals, and ensuring “strong safeguards to protect public-policy processes from interference by the ultra-processed food industry.”
