Key points

• UNICEF warns that globally, more children and adolescents are now living with overweight or obesity than are underweight.
• This milestone does not mean undernutrition has disappeared. Many countries face a “double burden” of malnutrition: rising obesity alongside persistent stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies.
• Drivers include the rapid spread of ultra-processed foods, sugary beverages, aggressive marketing to children, urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, and economic pressures that make unhealthy options cheaper and more convenient.
• Effective responses combine policy action (e.g., taxes on sugary drinks, marketing restrictions, clear food labels), health and school-based programs, and support for families.

What does UNICEF’s warning mean?

For the first time on a global scale, the number of children and adolescents with overweight or obesity is estimated to exceed the number who are underweight. In public health terms, that marks a profound shift in the world’s nutrition landscape. It reflects decades of change in the foods children consume, the environments in which they live and play, and the policies—or lack of policies—that shape those conditions.

Importantly, this milestone does not signal victory over undernutrition. In many regions, especially in parts of Africa and South Asia, undernutrition remains stubbornly high. What has changed is that excess weight is now rising faster—and often in the same communities—creating a complex coexistence of malnutrition in multiple forms.

Definitions at a glance

• Underweight (children): Low weight for age, compared with standardized growth references.
• Wasting: Low weight for height, indicating recent and severe weight loss or failure to gain weight.
• Stunting: Low height for age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
• Overweight/Obesity (children): Excess body fat estimated using BMI-for-age percentiles or z-scores on WHO/CDC growth charts. Thresholds differ from adult cut-offs and are age- and sex-specific.

Because these measures capture different problems, a child can be short for age (stunted) yet still have overweight—a striking example of the “double burden” within the same child.

Why are childhood overweight and obesity rising?

The increase is not simply about individual choices. It is largely driven by environments that make less nutritious options the default:

• Food environments flooded by ultra-processed products: Highly processed snacks and drinks, often rich in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, are widely available, shelf-stable, and aggressively marketed—especially to children.
• Affordability and convenience: In many places, calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods are cheaper and faster to obtain than fresh produce and minimally processed staples.
• Marketing to children: Pervasive advertising on TV, social media, gaming platforms, and near schools shapes children’s preferences long before they can evaluate claims.
• Urbanization and sedentary time: More time indoors, more screen time, limited access to safe parks or active transport, and fewer physical education hours at school reduce daily activity.
• Economic stress: Families facing tight budgets may lean toward filling, low-cost foods; food insecurity can paradoxically increase obesity risk.
• Early-life factors: Maternal nutrition, breastfeeding practices, sleep, and the timing and quality of complementary foods influence growth and later weight.
• Pandemic aftershocks: COVID-19 disrupted school meals and physical activity, and increased reliance on packaged foods in many households.

Regional patterns and inequities

The global picture masks major differences:

• High- and middle-income countries: Elevated prevalence of overweight/obesity, but also social gradients—children in lower-income neighborhoods often face fewer healthy options and safe spaces.
• Rapidly urbanizing regions: Dietary shifts toward processed foods can occur faster than policies and health systems can respond.
• Low-income countries: Underweight, stunting, and wasting remain urgent issues, yet processed food markets are expanding, raising the risk of a swift rise in childhood overweight.

Within countries, disparities by income, ethnicity, gender, and geography mean some children face layers of risk—and fewer resources for prevention or care.

Health impacts on children

Childhood overweight and obesity can affect health now and into adulthood:

• Higher risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and fatty liver disease.
• Orthopedic issues, sleep apnea, asthma exacerbation, and earlier puberty in some cases.
• Mental health concerns, including stigma, bullying, anxiety, and depression.
• Greater likelihood of adult obesity and related chronic diseases.

Conversely, undernutrition increases susceptibility to infections, impairs cognitive development, and reduces school performance and economic potential. Both forms of malnutrition limit children’s ability to thrive.

What works: evidence-informed solutions

No single intervention is enough. The most successful approaches combine policy, systems, and community changes that make healthy choices easier:

• Protect children from unhealthy marketing: Restrict ads for high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat products on media platforms and near schools.
• Price signals: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and other ultra-processed products can reduce consumption and fund nutrition programs.
• Front-of-pack labels: Simple, prominent warnings or traffic-light systems help families spot unhealthy products at a glance.
• Reformulation targets: Set limits on sugar, salt, and trans fats; encourage portion size reductions.
• Healthy school food environments: Nutritious school meals, limits on junk food sales on campus, safe drinking water, and regular, inclusive physical education.
• Maternal and early-child nutrition: Support breastfeeding, improve prenatal care and micronutrient supplementation, and guide caregivers on complementary feeding.
• Active cities: Invest in sidewalks, bike lanes, parks, and lighting so families can move safely.
• Primary care screening and support: Growth monitoring using age- and sex-specific charts; brief counseling that avoids stigma; referral pathways for complex cases.
• Social protection: Cash or voucher programs that make healthy foods more affordable during economic shocks.

What families can do (without blame or stigma)

• Focus on the environment, not willpower: Keep water readily available; place fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains within easy reach; limit sugary drinks at home.
• Regular meals and snacks: Predictable routines can reduce grazing on ultra-processed snacks.
• Portion awareness: Use child-appropriate portions; let children self-regulate with supportive guidance.
• Active time: Encourage daily movement that children enjoy—walking, cycling, dancing, play—while building in adequate sleep.
• Screen-savvy habits: Create media-free mealtimes; be mindful of in-app food marketing.
• Positive language: Avoid weight-based teasing; emphasize health, strength, energy, and skills.
• Partner with schools and clinics: Ask about nutrition policies at school and growth monitoring at check-ups.

If you have concerns about a child’s growth, consult a qualified health professional who can interpret growth charts and consider medical, social, and developmental factors. Avoid restrictive fad diets for children unless medically supervised.

Common myths and clarifications

• Myth: “Underweight is over; obesity is the only problem now.”
  Fact: Underweight, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies remain widespread, often in the same communities facing rising obesity.
• Myth: “It’s just about personal responsibility.”
  Fact: Children’s diets are strongly shaped by marketing, pricing, school and neighborhood environments, and family resources.
• Myth: “Adult BMI rules apply to kids.”
  Fact: Children’s growth is assessed using age- and sex-specific charts; clinicians use BMI-for-age percentiles or z-scores.
• Myth: “Healthy food is always more expensive.”
  Fact: Costs vary by region; policies and smart shopping (seasonal produce, staples like beans and lentils) can make healthy options affordable.

About the data

Estimates of underweight and obesity in children come from national surveys and global modeling by organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank. Methods, years, and age groups may differ between reports. While figures change over time, the broad trend highlighted by UNICEF—rising childhood overweight outpacing declines in underweight—has been observed across many regions.

Conclusion

That more children are now living with overweight or obesity than are underweight is a consequential turning point. It underscores a global food and activity environment that too often works against children’s health. The solutions are known: protect kids from aggressive junk-food marketing, make healthier choices affordable and visible, invest in active communities and healthy schools, and support families from pregnancy through adolescence.

Progress is possible. Countries that have combined smart policy with school and community action have begun to bend the curve. With coordinated effort, children everywhere can grow up nourished, active, and ready to learn.