The number of school-age children and adolescents living with obesity has surpassed those who are underweight globally for the first time, according to UNICEF.
UNICEF’s 2025 Child Nutrition Report found that 9.4% of children and adolescents aged 5–19 were living with obesity, compared with 9.2% who were underweight. The agency described the shift as a historic turning point in the global malnutrition landscape.
The report also found that one in five children and adolescents aged 5–19 is living with overweight, equivalent to around 391 million young people. The number has more than doubled since 2000, when approximately 194 million children in this age group were living with overweight.
UNICEF said the rise is linked to changing food environments, including greater exposure to inexpensive and heavily marketed ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and other foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
The trend is also increasingly affecting low- and middle-income countries. UNICEF reported that these countries now account for more than 80% of children and adolescents living with overweight worldwide.
At the same time, the prevalence of underweight among 5–19-year-olds has declined from nearly 13% in 2000 to 9.2%. UNICEF said the changing pattern highlights how the global burden of childhood malnutrition is shifting from undernutrition toward overweight and obesity.
The report draws on data from more than 190 countries and uses population-based surveys, administrative data and other sources to assess nutrition trends among children and adolescents.