More of the world's children are obese than underweight, UN warns

Obesity now affects nearly one in 10 school-aged children worldwide, with Unicef warning that ultra-processed foods are increasingly replacing traditional diets. ASSOCIATED PRESS - Michael Probst

For the first time, more school-aged children are obese than underweight around the world, with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The warning came in a report released on Wednesday by the United Nations children’s agency Unicef.

The agency said obesity has become the most common form of malnutrition among those aged five to 19, affecting nearly one in 10 worldwide. That amounts to 188 million children. In total, one in five – some 391 million – are overweight.