More Of The World’s Children Are Now Obese Than Underweight, At 9.4% Compared To 9.2%

In 2025, the global prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years surpassed that of underweight (9.4% versus 9.2%) for the first time, according to a recent UNICEF report. Across the world, one in twenty children under 5 years of age (5%) and one in five children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years (20%) are living with overweight, according to the report.

For school-aged children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, categories of overweight, obesity, and underweight were defined as follows, based on World Health Organization references for school-age children and adolescents . . .