Childhood obesity is one of the most serious global public health challenges
of the 21st century, affecting every country in the world. In just 40 years the
number of school-age children and adolescents with obesity has risen more
than 10-fold, from 11 million to 124 million (2016 estimates).1 In addition, an
estimated 216 million were classified as overweight but not obese in 2016.1
The condition also affects younger children, with over 38 million children aged under 5 living with
overweight or obesity in 2017.2
Figure 1: Number of children aged 5-19 living with overweight or obesity in 2016,
and the increase in prevalence from 2010 to 2016, by WHO region
Effects of overweight and obesity
Obesity in adulthood is a major risk factor for the world’s leading causes of
poor health and early death including cardiovascular disease, several common
cancers, diabetes and osteoarthritis. Preventing obesity has direct benefits for
children’s health and wellbeing, in childhood and continuing into adulthood.
Compared with children with a healthy weight, those with overweight or obesity are more likely to
experience negative consequences,8
including:
