Childhood Obesity Statistics

Looking for the latest childhood obesity data and trend? We’ve got you covered.
Last Updated: July. 2023

Our team have spent hundreds hours of collecting and curating data to writing a report about a very serious problems – Childhood Obesity

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Global Childhood Obesity Overview

Over 340 million children and adolescents from 5 -19 years old were overweight or obese in 2016. (WHO, 2017)

41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in the world. (WHO, 2017)

31, 3 Million children in the US will need Medicaid in 2026. (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2018)

17% of children in food-insecure households in the U.S. (US Department of Agriculture & Economic Research Service, 2018)

Childhood Obesity in The U.S

Latest Statistics – ( Update October 2019)

Source: National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

Childhood obesity of youth ages from 10 to 17 was 15.3%, compared to 16.1 % in 2016

22.2% Black & 19.0% Hispanic youth are obese that were significantly higher than white youth (11.8%) & Asian youth (7.3%)

The U.S childhood obesity percentage ranged from 8.7% in Utah to 25.4% in Mississippi

Childhood obesity rate were significantly higher that the national rate in 3 states: Mississippi (25.4%), West Virginia (20.9%), & Kentucky (20.8%)

Childhood obesity rate were significantly higher that the national rate in 6 states: Utah (8.7%), Minnesota (9.4%), Alaska (9.9%), Colorado (10.7%), Montana (10.8%) & Washington (11.0%)

Note: From 2016, NSCH changes in survey’s mode of data collection and sampling frame.  Thus, it’s not possible to compare results from the 2016 to earlier survey. However, data from 2016 will be collected annually so the trends can be evaluated over time

Health Status

• 22.2% of Hispanic male high school students are obese, which is the highest figure among ethnicities. (Center of Disease and Control, 2018)
• State obesity rates among high school students range from a low of 9.5% in Colorado to a high of 21.7% in Arkansas, with a median of 14.2%. (Center of Disease and Control, 2018)
• Arkansas was the state that has the highest rate of obese high school students in the US at 21.7%. (Center of Disease and Control, 2018)
• The obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17 ranges from 8.7% in Utah to 26.1% in Mississippi. (State of Obesity, 2018)
• Prevalence of obese adolescents from 12-19-year-olds had been doubled from 1998 to 2016. (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2017)
• 20,6% is the percentage of 12-19-year-old adolescents, who were obese, while 17,9% is the number of 6-11-year-old children. (US Department of Health & Human Services, 2017)
• The prevalence of obesity is 18.5% and affects about 13.7 million children and adolescents in the US. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• Youth Obesity Rate Ages 2-19 in a period of 2015-2016 is 18.5%. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• 19.1% of female children and adolescents were obese in the US during the period of 2015-2016. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• Age from 12 – 19 has the highest obesity rate at 20,6% during the period 2015-2016. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• There are harsh increases in the obesity rate in 3 of 4 ethnicities: Hispanic from 22,4% to 25,8%, Black from 20.2% to 22%, Asian from 8.6% to 11%. (Center of Disease and Control, 2018)

Nutrient Intake of Children in the US

• 21% of Parents in the US choose that limiting fast food was the best way to promote healthy eating habits. (C.S Mott Children’s Hospital)

Fat & Sugar Intake

• 12 to 19 years old male adolescents were in the group that consumes the largest amount of sugar from food and beverages daily, at 124-gram per individual. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• 105 grams per individual was the amount of sugar that 6 to 11-year-old female children intake daily. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• Each of 12 to 19-year-old male adolescents consumed 88.5 gram of fat. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• To the females, a group of 6 to 11 years olds had the highest number, at 72.3 gram of fat per person. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)

Energy, Carbohydrate & Protein Intake

• Average daily food energy intake in male children between 6-11 years old was 1,973 kcal. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• 6 to 11-year-old U.S. female children and adolescents had a daily mean energy intake from foods and drinks amounting to 1,834 kcal per person. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)
• 2 to 5-year-old kids only consumed 54.7 grams of protein daily for males and 51.2 protein grams for females. (Center of Disease and Control, 2017)

Childhood Obesity in the U.k

Childhood Obesity in the England

• Prevalence of childhood obesity by males and by females was 12.7% and 10.2% respectively in 2016. (WHO, 2017)
• It’s estimated that 25% of boys and girl under 20 will be obese in 2050. (Government Office for Science)
• Cumbria had the highest obesity rate of 4-5-year-old children in England 2017/2018 at 31.2%. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• 13.7% is the lowest childhood obesity rate in Uk, which is in Guildford, Surrey. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• 44.5% was the obesity rate of the 10-11 age group in Barking and Dagenham, which is the highest rate in England. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• Waverley, Surrey had the lowest obesity rate of childrens aged from 10 to 11 at 20,5%. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• 9.5% of 4-5 aged children in England were obese in 2017/18 with a further 12.8% overweight. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• The proportions were higher among 10-11 aged children, with 20.1% being obese and
  14.2% overweight. (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• Boys (9,9% at 4-5 age & 22,2% at 10-11 age) are more likely than girls (9,1% at 4-5 age & 18,0% at 10-11 age). (National Child Measurement Programme, 2019)
• 59% of people surveyed by the UK government agree that preventing childhood obesity was a high priority. (Comres, 2015)

Childhood obesity & Deprivation in The England

• Among ages 4-5 children, 6.4% of those in the lesser deprived areas are obese compared with 12.4% of those in the most deprived areas. (House of Commons Library, 2019)
• In the age 10-11 group, 13.3% of children in the lesser deprived areas are obese, compared with 26.7% in the most deprived areas. (House of Commons Library, 2019)

Childhood Obesity in the Wales & Scotland

Childhood Obesity in the Wales

• 12% of children aged 4 to 5 years in Wales are categorised as obese, and 14.3 % are categorized as overweight in 2017/18. (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2019)
• By local authority areas for the single year 2017/18, obesity prevalence of age 4-5 is highest in Merthyr Tydfil at 15.6%. (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2019)
• 14.2% of children aged 4 to 5 living in the most deprived areas were obese. (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2019)
• Ages 4-5 Black Children have the highest percentage of childhood obesity at 15.7%. (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2019)
• Prevalence of overweight and obese in ages 4-5 (at 26,4%) was statistically higher in Wales than in England. (Public Health Wales Observatory, 2019)

Childhood Obesity in the Scotland

• 29% of ages 2 – 15 children and adolescents were at risk of overweight in 2018. (Scottish Health Survey, 2019)
• 34% of adolescents from 12 to 15 years old were overweight in 2018. (Scottish Health Survey, 2019)

Childhood Obesity in the Europe

• 14.9% of Russian male children are obese in 2016, while it’s a much lower percentage in female children (6,8%). (WHO, 2017)
• In Italy, 20% and 14.9% is the percentage of obese male and female children respectively in 2016. (WHO, 2017)
• 13.7% is the percentage of obese male children in Germany in 2016. (WHO,2017)
• 8.9% of female children in France were obese in 2016. (WHO, 2017)
• 13.8% of children in Greece were obese, which is the highest rate among selected countries. (HBSC, 2017)
• In Poland, the obesity rate of male children in 2016 is 10 times higher than in 1975. (WHO, 2017)
• In Sweden, childhood obesity is in the top 15 most worrisome problems – Ipsos, 2019