Country to lead in overweight young people by 2050: Report

NEW DELHI: India will have the highest number of overweight or obese young people in the 15-24 years age group by 2050, and the second highest in the 5-14 years one, an analysis published in The Lancet on Monday said, highlighting the crisis the country faces.

- Rhythma Kaul

At 70 million, the number accounts for around 9.4% of the 746 million people in the two age groups who will be either overweight or obese, according to a new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study BMI Collaborators.

It isn't just young people; by 2050, India will have 450 million adults who are overweight or obese, accounting for 11.8% of the global population that is overweight or obese.

In the 15-24 years age group, termed older adolescents by the authors, India will have the most people by 2050, at 39.6 million, up from 7.3 million in 1990. China will be a close second with 34.3 million. In the 5-14 years age group, termed children and young adolescents, India will rank second with 30.5 million overweight or obese people, up from 9.1 million in 1990, after China, at 34.3 million.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched an anti-obesity drive across the country to generate awareness about the need to stay fit. During his address at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun last month, Modi spoke about fighting obesity as it is increasing rapidly in India.