Childhood obesity to rise by half by 2050, study suggests

The number of obese children and teenagers in the UK will rise by more than half by 2050, new research suggests, with children as young as five much more likely to be affected.

- JANE KIRBY RACHEL CLUN

For girls aged five to 14 in the UK, obesity rates will rise from 12 per cent in 2021 to 18.4 per cent in 2050, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal – a rise of 53 per cent. For boys in that age group, obesity rates will rise 57 per cent over the same period, from 9.9 per cent to 15.5 per cent.

PA analysis of the data found that for girls and young women aged 15 to 24, obesity rates will jump by 49 per cent from 15.4 per cent in 2021 to 22.9 per cent in 2050, while for boys and young men, obesity rates will rise by 51 per cent, from 12.1 per cent to 18.3 per cent.

The research estimates global overweight and obesity rates through to 2050. In a separate editorial published in The Lancet, experts said the global picture represents a “profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure”.

Overall, The Lancet study suggested more than half of adults and a third of children and adolescents across the globe will be overweight or obese by 2050.