More Children Globally Are Obese Than Underweight, Says Unicef

A major Unicef study reveals that childhood obesity has overtaken underweight cases worldwide for the first time. Nearly one in 10 children aged 5-19, approximately 188 million young people, now suffer from obesity. The data from over 190 countries shows underweight rates dropped from 13% to 9.2% since 2000, while obesity climbed from 3% to 9.4%. One in five school-age children are now overweight, totaling roughly 391 million globally. Pacific Island states show the highest obesity rates, with Niue at 38%, Cook Islands at 37%, and Nauru at 33%. High-income countries also face serious problems, including Chile at 27%, and both the United States and United Arab Emirates at 21%. Unicef blames ultra-processed foods and projects economic costs could exceed $4 trillion annually by 2035. (Story URL)