Childhood Obesity Overtakes Underweight as Key Concern, UNICEF Report Shows
10 Sep 2025
Ultra-processed foods under the spotlight as study finds Australian children among the heaviest consumers.
A new UNICEF report has raised the alarm about children’s diets, warning that ultra-processed food and drinks now make up at least half of what the average Australian teenager eats.
The annual nutrition report, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, found a dramatic global shift: for the first time in history, there are now more children living with obesity than those who are underweight.
Key findings from the report
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Since 2000, the proportion of underweight children aged 5–19 has declined.
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Childhood obesity, however, has nearly tripled – rising from 3% in 2000 to 9.4% in 2025.
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Globally, an estimated 188 million children aged 5–19 are now living with obesity, compared to 184 million who are underweight.
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Adolescents in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK are among the highest consumers of ultra-processed foods, which make up at least 50% of their daily energy intake.
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In Australia, more than one in three children (36%) aged 5–19 are affected by overweight or obesity.
The report warns that these levels of ultra-processed food consumption are so high they effectively act as a “staple food” for many young people.
Call for action
Katie Maskiell, Head of Policy and Advocacy at UNICEF Australia, said:
“High-income countries have some of the highest rates of overweight and obese children in the world. To tackle this, governments need strong, mandatory policies – including better food labelling, restrictions on marketing to kids, and healthier pricing through food taxes and subsidies.”
The findings mark 2025 as a “historic turning point”, with obesity overtaking underweight as the greater global concern for children’s health.
(Source: UNICEF / RACGP)