1st Global Childhood Obesity Conference

A Global Health Crisis

Childhood obesity has rapidly emerged as one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. Over 390 million children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese, with numbers steadily rising across all regions, including low- and middle-income countries where undernutrition and obesity now coexist.

Obesity in early life is strongly linked to heightened risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and certain cancers later in life. Equally concerning are the psychosocial impacts: children living with obesity often face stigma, bullying, lower educational attainment, and reduced social participation.

The UNICEF 2025 Nutrition Report highlights that no country is on track to meet the 2030 global nutrition targets related to overweight and obesity. In fact, between 2000 and 2020, the global prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age increased from 5.4% to 5.7%, while in school-aged children and adolescents (5–19 years), overweight and obesity rates rose from 10% to nearly 20%. These figures point to a disturbing trajectory unless urgent multisectoral action is taken.

The drivers of childhood obesity are complex and systemic. Unhealthy food environment, social and behavioral determinants, sedentary lifestyles driven by urbanization, increased screen time, limited access to safe play spaces, and reduced physical activity in schools along with structural inequalities further exacerbating risks.

UNICEF emphasizes that children’s right to health, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, requires governments to act decisively to create enabling environments where healthy diets and active lifestyles are the default, not the exception. The global nutrition community increasingly agrees that combating childhood obesity is not only a public health imperative but also a child rights obligation.