Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 4: More than 220 million children worldwide could be living with obesity by 2040 unless governments take drastic preventive measures, an international report has warned.

According to the 2026 World Obesity Atlas released by the World Obesity Federation, around 180 million children were obese in 2025. The latest projections suggest that by 2040, approximately 227 million children aged 5 to 19 could be living with obesity, while more than half a billion are expected to be overweight.

The report estimates that at least 120 million school-age children could show early signs of chronic diseases linked to high body mass index (BMI). A person is classified as obese if their BMI is 30 or above, and overweight if it is above 25.

Johanna Ralston, chief executive of the World Obesity Federation, said the sharp rise in childhood obesity reflects a global failure to treat the condition as a serious disease. “It is not right to condemn a generation to obesity and the chronic and potentially fatal non-communicable diseases that often go with it,” she said.

Country-wise data highlights stark figures. About 27 million children aged 5 to 19 in the United States are reported to have high BMI, ranking behind China (62 million) and India (41 million). In the US, this translates to roughly two in five children being overweight or obese.

In the United Kingdom, nearly 3.8 million children are reported to have high BMI — the highest recorded level — placing the country among the worst performers in Europe, with nearly double the number of overweight and obese children compared to France and Italy.

The report projects that by 2040, around 370,000 UK children aged 5 to 19 could exhibit signs of cardiovascular disease, while 271,000 may show symptoms of hypertension.

Significant regional disparities were also noted. The 10 countries where more than half of school-age children are overweight or obese are located in the western Pacific region or the Americas. Meanwhile, the fastest growth in obesity rates is being seen in low- and middle-income countries.

The federation has called for stronger policy measures to create healthier environments, including sugar taxes, restrictions on junk food advertising and initiatives promoting physical activity among children.

Global health experts have backed the findings. Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, regional adviser for nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the World Health Organization Europe, described childhood obesity as a “failure of environments”. He urged governments to introduce mandatory marketing restrictions and clearer front-of-pack labelling, stating that many countries continue to allow food companies to target children without adequate controls.

Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said the projected surge in early heart disease and hypertension among children should serve as a wake-up call about the long-term consequences of policy inaction.

Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care said measures are being implemented to restrict junk food advertising on television before 9 pm and online at all times. The move is expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories per year from children’s diets, while local authorities are being given stronger powers to prevent fast food outlets from opening near schools.