The World Obesity Federation (WOF) has placed Pakistan at 9th place in terms of obesity in children and teenagers by 2030 with 5.4 million kids aged between 5 and 19 expected to be obese.
The report has also predicted that over 250 million children in the world will be obese by 2030. The number would be around 158 million next year whereas the figure would touch 206 million in 2025, the Guardian has reported.
China is listed at 1st place with 61.9 million cases of obesity in 5-19-year olds. India comes at second with 27.4 million, while the United States of America is at the 3rd spot with 16.9 million.
Other countries expected to have the biggest obesity problem include Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa.
Here are the top 10 countries that are most likely to be affected by obesity in kids:
| Rank | Country | Obesity Prevalence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 61,987,920 |
| 2 | India | 27,481,141 |
| 3 | US | 16,986,603 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 9,076,416 |
| 5 | Brazil | 7,664,422 |
| 6 | Egypt | 6,818,532 |
| 7 | Mexico | 6,550,276 |
| 8 | Nigeria | 6,020,182 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 5,412,457 |
| 10 | South Africa | 4,146,329 |
In Pakistan, 10.8% of five to nine-year-olds and 7.4% of 10 to 19-year-olds would be obese by 2030, the report predicted.
The list has been compiled after calculating risk factors for 191 countries. The report has attributed changing lifestyles and growing popularity of junk food in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America for increased obesity in children and teenagers.
In addition, more motorized transport, screen time and easy access to fast food are playing a huge role in making kids obese worldwide.
What are your thoughts on the World Obesity Index? Let us know in the comments section.
This is the most annoying fact of our country that children in undeveloped areas does not get enough food for living a healthy life and unfortunately falls into the trap of undernutrition