One third of children and adolescents worldwide predicted to be overweight or obese by 2050
05 March 2025
A third of children and adolescents worldwide, are predicted to be overweight by 2050, according to an article published by American researchers in The Lancet, on World Obesity Day. That amounts to 3.8 BN adults and 746 million children and adolescents.
Globally, obese young population will more than double by 2050, with an expected rise of 121%.
The authors gathered different projections covering specific countries and regions worldwide and added them up.
In Europe, near 51% of the population aged 16 and over are overweight, 17% of which are defined as obese. 42% of American men and 46% of American women are obese.
Obesity rates are skyrocketing in sub-Saharan Africa, with 522 million adults and 200 million young people expected to be overweight or obese by 2050.
Younger generations of consumers are gaining weight faster than those before them, with obesity occurring earlier, with heightened risks of health complications like diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers at earlier ages, the report says. Some 198 million children were overweight or obese in 1990, compared to 493 million in 2021.
The authors call for support for nutritional diets and regulation of ultra-processed foods.
