Childhood Obesity Rises Fastest in Developing Nations as High-Income Countries Stabilise

Childhood and adolescent obesity continues to rise rapidly in many low- and middle-income countries even as rates slow, stabilise or slightly decline in several high-income nations, according to a major study published in the journal Nature on May 13, 2026. The research analysed obesity trends from 1980 to 2024 using data from 4,050 population-based studies covering 232 million people across 200 countries and territories.

By 2024, obesity growth rates among young people had reached their highest levels since 1980 in 110 countries for girls and 91 countries for boys, with the majority of these countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Islands. Researchers attribute the accelerating trend in developing regions to rapid urbanisation, dietary shifts toward ultra-processed foods, reduced physical activity and weakened food system governance. These regions frequently lack the public health infrastructure and regulatory frameworks that have helped slow obesity rates in wealthier nations.

The divergence between high-income and low-to-middle-income countries in obesity trajectories reflects broader inequalities in food environments, urban design and healthcare access. In many developing nations, the simultaneous persistence of undernutrition alongside rising overweight rates creates a 'double burden' of malnutrition that strains health systems and complicates public health messaging. Increased childhood obesity carries long-term health costs through elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions in adulthood.

The study's authors are calling for integrated food system policies, urban planning reforms that support active mobility, and stronger regulations on the marketing of unhealthy food products to children. For India, which is experiencing rapid urbanisation and dietary transition, the findings underscore the need for proactive policy intervention before obesity prevalence reaches the levels now being addressed in higher-income nations. The results will likely inform the policy agenda of the forthcoming UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases.

Key figure — 110 countries for girls and 91 countries for boys at highest obesity growth rates since 1980