Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 29: Obesity is increasing at a worrying pace in India and has emerged as one of the country’s most serious public health challenges, the Economic Survey 2025–26 cautioned on Thursday.
Tabled in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Survey attributed the rising trend to a combination of unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyles, rapid lifestyle transitions, growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and environmental influences.
The Survey noted that obesity now affects people across all age groups, significantly increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, and hypertension, and impacting both urban and rural populations.
Referring to data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019–21, the Survey said 24 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men in India are overweight or obese. Among adults aged 15–49 years, 6.4 per cent of women and 4.0 per cent of men are classified as obese. The trend is also evident among children, with the proportion of under-five children who are overweight rising from 2.1 per cent in 2015–16 to 3.4 per cent in 2019–21.
The Survey highlighted particularly troubling projections for childhood obesity. It estimated that over 3.3 crore children in India were obese in 2020, a figure expected to soar to 8.3 crore by 2035 if current trends continue.
A major driver behind this rise, the Survey said, is the rapid expansion of the ultra-processed food market, which is increasingly replacing traditional diets and lowering overall diet quality. India, it noted, is among the fastest-growing markets for UPFs globally, with sales expanding by more than 150 per cent between 2009 and 2023. Retail sales of UPFs jumped from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a dramatic 40-fold increase — a period that coincides with a near doubling of obesity rates among men and women.
Beyond health impacts, the Survey warned that the growing dependence on UPFs carries a significant economic burden, through rising healthcare costs, reduced productivity, and long-term pressure on public finances.
The Economic Survey also outlined a range of government-led, multi-sectoral initiatives aimed at preventing and managing obesity. These include POSHAN Abhiyaan and Poshan 2.0, the Fit India Movement, Khelo India, Eat Right India, the nationwide awareness campaign ‘Aaj Se Thoda Kam’, Anaemia Mukt Bharat initiatives, the School Health Programme, and the promotion of Yoga.
Together, these efforts seek to encourage healthier diets, regular physical activity, safer food practices, and sustainable lifestyle changes, with the broader goal of building a healthier, fitter, and obesity-resilient India.