In March 2025, The Lancet published a new study presenting the current prevalence, temporal trends, and future projections (up to 2050) of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity. Among the co-authors is Dr. Péter Gaál, President of HMA.
The article, conducted within the framework of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD 2021) study, analyzed data from 204 countries, focusing on the 5–24 age group worldwide. Findings show that between 1990 and 2021, obesity among children and adolescents tripled, while overweight doubled. In 2021, there were 93 million obese children aged 5–14 and 81 million obese youth aged 15–24. The highest prevalence was observed in North Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania, while the most rapid increases occurred in Southeast and East Asia.
The outlook is concerning: projections indicate that obesity will continue to rise. While the growth of overweight prevalence is expected to stabilize, the absolute number of obese children and adolescents will keep increasing.
The authors warn that current public health measures have proven insufficient, and the period between 2022 and 2030 will be particularly critical. Therefore, urgent and strengthened public health interventions are needed worldwide.
The full article is available at: Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021