VITALSNEWS: Breaking News - Over 18 million Pakistani children either overweight or obese, global atlas warns

Islamabad: More than 18 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years in Pakistan are currently living with overweight or obesity, placing the country among the five most affected nations in the world as childhood obesity rises rapidly across low and middle income countries.

The alarming estimate places Pakistan alongside the world’s most populous countries facing a growing burden of childhood obesity. The figures come from the World Obesity Atlas 2026, a comprehensive global analysis of childhood overweight and obesity trends prepared by the World Obesity Federation.

According to the report, Pakistan ranks fifth globally for the number of children aged 5 to 19 years living with high body mass index, following China, India, the United States and Indonesia. The atlas estimates that around eight million Pakistani children in this age group are already living with obesity, while the total number of those who are either overweight or obese exceeds 18 million.

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