Islamabad: More than 18 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years in Pakistan are currently living with overweight or obesity, placing the country among the five most affected nations in the world as childhood obesity rises rapidly across low and middle income countries.
The alarming estimate places Pakistan alongside the world’s most populous countries facing a growing burden of childhood obesity. The figures come from the World Obesity Atlas 2026, a comprehensive global analysis of childhood overweight and obesity trends prepared by the World Obesity Federation.
According to the report, Pakistan ranks fifth globally for the number of children aged 5 to 19 years living with high body mass index, following China, India, the United States and Indonesia. The atlas estimates that around eight million Pakistani children in this age group are already living with obesity, while the total number of those who are either overweight or obese exceeds 18 million.
Globally, the report shows that more than 200 million school age children aged 5 to 19 years living with overweight or obesity are concentrated in just 10 countries, most of them large developing economies with rapidly changing food environments and lifestyles.
China has the highest number of affected children with about 62 million living with high BMI, followed by 41 million in India, 27 million in the United States, 19 million in Indonesia, and 18 million in Pakistan, according to the global estimates.
Researchers say the rise in childhood obesity reflects a dramatic shift in global nutrition and lifestyle patterns. Over the past few decades, excess weight among children has increased sharply around the world, particularly in middle income countries where economic and dietary transitions are underway.
The atlas notes that Pakistan is also among the countries experiencing one of the fastest increases in childhood obesity. Since 2010, the prevalence of high BMI among Pakistani children aged 5 to 19 years has been rising at an estimated average annual rate of about 7.1 percent, while obesity prevalence among children is increasing by more than 10 percent annually.
The national scorecard included in the atlas shows that over 6.1 million children aged 5 to 9 years in Pakistan are currently living with overweight or obesity, while the number rises to more than 12.2 million among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years.
Health consequences linked to excess weight are already appearing among children. Estimates suggest that more than 1.5 million Pakistani children may be living with hypertension associated with high BMI, while hundreds of thousands are showing early metabolic abnormalities such as elevated blood sugar or abnormal triglyceride levels.
The report also estimates that over four million Pakistani children could already be experiencing metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease, an increasingly common complication linked to childhood obesity.
At the global level, the atlas paints an equally concerning picture. It estimates that around 177 million children aged 5 to 19 years were living with obesity worldwide in 2025, and warns that this number could rise to about 228 million by 2040 if current trends continue.
Researchers further caution that childhood obesity is increasingly linked to the early development of chronic diseases. Globally, millions of children are already showing early indicators of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver disease associated with excess body weight.
Another major finding of the report is that more than 180 countries have seen a rise in overweight and obesity among children since 2010, indicating that the problem has become nearly universal.
Experts say several risk factors are driving the increase, including unhealthy diets, high consumption of sugary beverages, inadequate physical activity and growing exposure of children to aggressive marketing of ultra processed foods.
In Pakistan, the atlas highlights worrying lifestyle patterns among adolescents. It estimates that around 87 percent of children aged 11 to 17 years do not meet recommended physical activity levels, a factor widely linked to rising obesity rates.
The report also identifies gaps in national policy responses aimed at preventing childhood obesity. Several measures recommended internationally such as comprehensive school nutrition policies, structured physical activity guidelines for children and stronger controls on food marketing to children are either weak or not consistently implemented.
Public health specialists warn that the rising prevalence of childhood obesity could translate into a substantial future burden of non communicable diseases in Pakistan, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic disorders.
The World Obesity Atlas 2026 concludes that childhood obesity is no longer confined to wealthy countries and is rising fastest in middle income nations where large youth populations and rapidly changing food environments are reshaping global nutrition patterns.
Ends