It is emerging that children in the growing low and middle-income countries are now bearing the “brunt” of the expanding economies.
The balance of child overweight, which was a burden of the high and developed economies, is now fast tilting towards low and middle-income countries.
This worrying and threatening trend was revealed by UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Report 2025, themed “Feeding Profit: How Environments are Failing Children,” cited by The High Street Journal.
For decades, childhood overweight and obesity were seen as problems for wealthy nations. But today, a silent shift is underway. The world’s biggest burden of overweight children is no longer found in affluent societies; it is now becoming more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.
According to the report, the numbers are sobering. Since 2000, the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents aged 5–19 has more than doubled in developing countries, compared to a modest 1.2-fold increase in richer nations. As a result, low- and middle-income countries now carry a whopping 81% of the global overweight burden, up from 66% at the turn of the century.
“The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years has historically been highest in high-income countries. However, since 2000, overweight has more than doubled in low- and middle-income countries, compared to a modest 1.2-fold increase in high-income countries,” parts of the findings of the study revealed.
It added, “ as a result, the gap in prevalence is narrowing, and low- and middle-income countries now account for 81 per cent of the global overweight burden, up from 66 per cent in 2000.”
The Paradox of Economic Progress
The report explains this irony. UNICEF observes that as economies grow and incomes rise, the health of children takes an unexpected hit. In low-income countries, wealthier households tend to produce more overweight children because they can afford larger food quantities, often calorie-dense and nutrient-poor.
But as these nations transition into middle-income status, the problem widens. Ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages become cheaper and more available, leading to weight gain across all income levels.
However, the story is reversed in high-income countries, where obesity has become a mark of poverty rather than privilege. There, families with fewer resources are more likely to consume cheap, unhealthy diets, making childhood overweight more common among the poor.
“In low-income countries, children are more likely to have overweight if they belong to wealthier households, which can afford larger quantities of food, including energy-dense foods,” the report indicated.
It added, “As countries transition to middle-income status, ultra-processed foods and beverages become more widely available and more affordable, increasing the prevalence of overweight among children across all household income levels.”
What This Means for Ghana
Ghana sits right in the middle of this global nutrition transition. On one hand, rising incomes in parts of the country are reshaping diets, with children in urban households increasingly exposed to fast foods, fried snacks, and sweetened beverages.
On the other end are rural communities catching up as processed and packaged foods penetrate even the smallest markets.
The report confirms that this has grave economic implications. A heavier or obese child population translates into higher future healthcare costs, especially as obesity is linked directly to diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
For families, it means rising medical bills and reduced productivity. For the nation, it means lower human capital output, with long-term threats to workforce efficiency and economic competitiveness.
Ghana is already grappling with a dual burden of undernutrition in some regions and growing overweight rates in others. This calls for a balancing to put these health and economic issues under control.
The Business of Food and Its Cost
With increased globalization, the crisis has become more profound. Multinational food companies and local producers alike have capitalized on changing consumer habits.
Markets are now flooded with cheap, ultra-processed, energy-dense foods, marketed aggressively to children and their families. Sugary drinks are cheaper than milk. Packaged snacks are more accessible than fresh fruit.
The situation is not just a health issue, but an economic governance problem.
Policymakers must decide whether to prioritize short-term industry profits or long-term societal well-being. For businesses, this also presents an opportunity for the food industry to innovate healthier alternatives.
