About 450 Million Adults In India Will Be Overweight By 2050: Study

A recent Lancet study projected that India would have at least 450 million adults--one of the largest numbers of overweight and obese adults by 2050. Weight gain differs widely worldwide. In 2021, more than half of the world's overweight or obese individuals were from just eight countries including India (180 million people), China (402 million), USA (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million) and Egypt (41 million).

Obesity Around The World

The predominance of obesity, as opposed to just being overweight, is anticipated to be significant in various Oceanic nations (such as the Cook Islands, Nauru, and Tonga), where obesity rates are projected to reach 60-70% by 2050. In India, 26.4 million adults are projected to be obese by 2050, along with Nigeria (18.1 million), China (35.2 million), and the US (22.1 million).

The Lancet study revealed that without urgent policy reform and action, over half the world's adult population (3.8 billion) and a third of all children and adolescents (746 million) are expected to be overweight or obese by 2050. Urbanization, increased consumption of high-calorie foods, and reduced physical activity are notable contributors to this crisis, healthcare experts say.

India's Overweight Crisis

Besides the Lancet study, recent data from the National Family Health Survey also revealed India's obesity problem. About a fourth of adults in India were either overweight or obese in 2019-21, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2015-16. The problem is most prominent among women in southern India, Delhi, and Punjab. The rate of increase in obesity among men was faster.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the weight gain crisis in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio. He advised people to curb their oil intake by at least 10%, consume a balanced diet, and engage in physical activity. He also started an Anti-Obesity campaign, nominating several Indian celebrities like R Madhavan, Nirahua, Shreya Ghoshal, etc. to join the initiative.

As mentioned in yesterday’s #MannKiBaat, I would like to nominate the following people to help strengthen the fight against obesity and spread awareness on reducing edible oil consumption in food. I also request them to nominate 10 people each so that our movement gets bigger!… pic.twitter.com/bpzmgnXsp4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 24, 2025