India May Have Over 440 Million Obese People By 2050, Says Alarming Lancet Study

Just a few days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke strongly about the issue of obesity in his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast. Now, a global analysis published in The Lancet journal has revealed that India could have over 440 million obese and overweight people by 2050.

1/3rd Of India’s Population Will Be Obese By 2050

The study’s findings revealed that the number of overweight and obese adults by mid-century in India could be the second highest in the world, after China. According to the report, around 218 million men and 231 million women in India will be overweight by 2025.

India will overtake the USA in the next few years and have a higher number of obese individuals. The report showed that the USA will rank third, while Brazil and Nigeria are expected to take fourth and fifth place, respectively.

For this report, the group of researchers included people from the Indian Council of Medical Research as well. They collaborated for the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021. They shared that almost half the world’s adults, which is a billion men and over a billion women aged 25 years and above, were overweight and obese in 2021. In India alone, the numbers were over 180 million!

The research also estimated that about 16 million boys and over 14 million girls in India, aged 5-14 years, could be overweight and obese by 2050. Again, making it the world’s second-highest after China.

Also Read: PM Modi Calls For Fight Against Obesity, Urges People To Reduce Edible Oil Consumption In Food

Obesity Curve On The Global Level

What’s really concerning is that the report suggests that by 2050, this number globally could rise to nearly 3.8 billion. This means around 1.8 billion men and 1.9 billion women, basically “over half of the likely global adult population at that time” will be obese.

While China, India, and the USA will continue to make up for the global population with overweight and obesity, the number in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region is forecasted to increase by 254.8%.

Also Read: Every 10% Increase In Ultra-Processed Foods Increases Type 2 Diabetes Risk By 17%: Study

We hope that this alarming data will help people realise how big a health issue obesity is for our country. What are your thoughts on this study? Let us know in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)