Economic Survey 2025-26: India’s obesity epidemic rising faster among children

Abid Bashir
Comments 0
30 Jan 2026

24% women, 23% men overweight 3 cr children obese, may hit 8.3 cr by 2035 Junk food sales jumped forty-fold since 2006 Srinagar, Jan 30: India is staring at a slow-burning public health crisis, with obesity emerging as one of the country’s most pressing challenges, even as undernutrition remains unresolved. The Economic Survey 2025-26 sounds a clear warning--expanding waistlines, especially among children and young adults, threaten to strain healthcare systems, dent productivity and undermine long-term economic growth. Citing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21), the Survey notes that 24 per cent of Indian women and 23 per cent of men are overweight or obese. Among adults aged 15–49, obesity affects 6.4 per cent of women and 4 per cent of men. More worrying is the trend among children—excess weight among under-five children rose from 2.1 per cent in 2015-16 to 3.4 per cent in 2019-21. India had an estimated 3.3 crore obese children in 2020, a number projected to surge to 8.3 crore by 2035, according to global estimates cited in the Survey. At the heart of the problem is a dramatic dietary shift. The Economic Survey points out that India is one of the fastest-growing markets for ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Sales of UPFs jumped by over 150 per cent between 2009 and 2023, while retail sales ballooned from USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019—a forty-fold rise. “It is during the same period that obesity has nearly doubled in both men and women,” the Survey observes, highlighting a strong parallel between junk food consumption and rising obesity. The Survey warns that UPFs are displacing traditional diets, degrading nutritional quality and increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disorders and even mental health conditions. Beyond health, the economic cost is steep—higher healthcare spending, lost productivity and long-term fiscal stress. Acknowledging the scale of the challenge, the government is pushing a multi-pronged response. The Survey underlines initiatives such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, Fit India, Eat Right India, Khelo India, and the nationwide campaign ‘Aaj Se Thoda Kam’, aimed at cutting excessive oil and unhealthy food consumption. Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs, over 31.5 crore adults have been screened, with 8.47 crore identified as overweight or obese. At the policy level, the Economic Survey calls for stronger regulation of UPFs, clearer definitions, front-of-pack warning labels, tighter control on misleading advertisements—especially those targeting children—and even exploring higher GST or surcharges on foods high in sugar, salt and fat. “Improving diets cannot depend solely on consumer behaviour change; it will require coordinated policies across food systems,” the Survey stresses.