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A very big and worrying thing has been said in the Economic Survey of 2025-26 on Thursday. The survey clearly states that obesity is increasing very rapidly and dangerously in India. This has now become a major public health problem for the country. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented this economic survey in Parliament. It has been said that this increase in obesity is happening due to many reasons like unhealthy eating habits, major changes in lifestyle, such as people sitting more, rapid increase in the use of ultra-processed foods (UPF) i.e. highly processed and packaged food items. Some environmental factors are also playing a role in this.

This problem is now affecting people of all ages, children, young and old. Due to this, the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure has increased significantly. This problem is spreading in both cities and villages. Talking about statistics, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21, about 24 percent of women and 23 percent of men in India are overweight or obese. Among women aged 15 to 49 years, 6.4 percent are suffering from obesity, while among men this figure is 4.0 percent. The problem of overweight among children under 5 years of age was 2.1 percent in 2015-16, which has increased to 3.4 percent in 2019-21.

More than 3.3 crore children suffer from obesity

According to estimates, in 2020, more than 3.3 crore children in India were suffering from obesity. If this situation continues, then by 2035 this number may increase to 8.3 crores. This is a matter of great concern. The survey has expressed special concern over the growing market of ultra-processed foods (UPF). These are packaged snacks, cold drinks, instant noodles, biscuits etc., which are highly processed. They have started replacing the old traditional food. Due to this, our food habits are becoming less nutritious and the risk of many chronic diseases is increasing.

some shocking statistics: :

India is one of the fastest growing UPF markets in the world

UPF sales to increase by more than 150 percent between 2009 and 2023

Retail sales grew from just $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019 – an almost 40-fold increase!

What is the effect of obesity on the economy?

During this period, obesity almost doubled in both men and women. This is similar to the global trend, where obesity is increasing with changes in eating habits. The increasing use of UPF is not only affecting health but also the economy. This leads to more expenditure on health services. People’s working capacity (productivity) is reduced. The financial burden on the government increases in the long run. Still, the good thing is that the government is taking this problem seriously. Many big camps are being run to prevent, manage and reduce obesity.

These include:

Nutrition Campaign and Nutrition 2.0

fit india movement

Khelo India

Eat Right India

Nationwide awareness campaigns like ‘Aaj Se Thoda Kam’

Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM)

school health program

promote yoga

The aim of all this is to integrate health, good nutrition, physical exercise, right eating habits and healthy lifestyle so that India can become a healthy, strong and obesity-free country.