Childhood obesity has overtaken underweight for the first time in history, according to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Report 2025: Feeding Profit.
The report reveals that 188 million children and adolescents worldwide are living with obesity, compared to 184 million who are underweight.
Since 2000, the number of children and adolescents aged 5–19 living with overweight has doubled from 194 million to 391 million. “Children are growing up in environments where sugary drinks, salty and sweet snacks and fast foods, including ultra-processed foods and beverages, are highly accessible and aggressively marketed,” UNICEF warns.
Globally, regions such as Latin America, North Africa, and East Asia have seen some of the steepest increases in childhood overweight. In South Asia, the prevalence rose nearly fivefold since 2000. By contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the last regions where underweight still slightly exceeds obesity.
Yet the tide is shifting fast. In Eastern and Southern Africa, “about half of adolescents consumed more than one sugary food or beverage during the previous day, while one in four consumed a soft drink and salty processed foods”. Between 2021 and 2024, retail sales of ultra-processed foods “rose by 30–39 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa”, driven by supermarket growth and food delivery services.
UNICEF’s country-level studies highlight worrying trends. In Tanzania and Zimbabwe, public-private partnerships have enabled processed food companies to push ultra-processed snacks into schools, “build brand loyalty among young learners and strengthen their corporate reputation”. Meanwhile, in South Africa, the penetration of modern retail outlets has accelerated access to packaged snacks and sugary beverages, especially in urban areas.
Though Botswana is not individually profiled, the report’s findings for Eastern and Southern Africa apply. Many children “miss out on eggs, meat, vegetables and fruits, especially in poorer and rural households”, while adolescents are increasingly consuming sugary drinks and processed foods. With smartphone use on the rise, Botswana’s youth are also more exposed to “relentless digital marketing,” which 75 per cent of young people globally reported seeing weekly.
The report is clear: governments must act decisively. “The ultra-processed food and beverage industry holds disproportionate influence over children’s food environments… In pursuit of profit, the industry leverages vast financial resources and deep political influence to resist policies”. UNICEF recommends comprehensive measures such as food marketing restrictions, taxes on sugary drinks, stronger school food policies, and subsidies for nutritious local produce. “Governments must stand up to industry interference and put children’s health before corporate profit,” it concludes.
