The 2026 edition of the World Atlas on Childhood Obesity ranks Mexico among the top 10 countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity, an improvement over the previous narrative that put Mexico in the top spot, but still a cause for alarm.
The Atlas revealed that Mexico ranks No. 8 in childhood obesity, with some 6 million children between the ages of 5 and 19 living with obesity. The top three countries in the ranking are China (33 million), India (14 million) and the United States (13 million).
México ha combatido la pandemia de obesidad infantil como ningún otro país. Merece la pena mencionar que es gracias a las políticas públicas impulsadas por el gobierno de @lopezobrador_, @HLGatell, @Claudiashein y David Kershenobichz.
Etiquetado Claro y prohibición de venta de… pic.twitter.com/qKQmZU2tBd
— El científico del bienestar (@DoctorZamudio) March 7, 2026
When children who are overweight but not obese are factored in, the order of the top 10 remains the same. The number of overweight and obese kids in No. 1 China is 62 million, in No. 2 India 41 million, in No. 3 U.S. 27 million and in No. 8 Mexico 13 million.
“We are no longer the first country, nor are we among the first countries with obesity, neither in adults nor in children, fortunately,” Simon Barquera, president of the World Obesity Federation, told the news magazine Expansión. “This doesn’t mean we should celebrate yet. It means that things have been held back a bit, possibly.”
Another reason not to celebrate the new ranking is the different measurement used to determine it. When the OECD and other organizations named Mexico as the No. 1 country in childhood obesity more than a decade ago, it was based on the percentage of the childhood population with obesity. The current World Obesity Federation ranking simply counts the total number of overweight or obese kids in each country.
In that light, Mexico’s 13 million compares less favorably to China’s 62 million when it’s remembered that China’s total population is about 10 times greater than Mexico’s.
In recent years, the Mexican government has prioritized policies aimed at preventing childhood obesity. In 2020, the country introduced a law requiring warning labels on packaged food that are high in saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, sodium or calories.
Barquera said this strategy has helped 60% of consumers choose healthier alternatives.
Last year, Mexico also banned the sale of junk food and sugary drinks in schools, in an effort to improve children’s eating habits.
These policies have earned Mexico international recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which have called on other countries to adopt similar strategies.
“There are reasons to believe that [Mexicans] are already beginning to see positive results,” Barquera said, adding that it is vital to “remain cautious.”
“We shouldn’t assume that we have already contained the disease,” he said. “Rather, we should say: ‘We are on the right track, but we must reinforce all our actions.’”
In Mexico, the northern state of Chihuahua leads in childhood obesity, the most recent National Health and Nutrition Survey revealed.
Official data in the state shows that 25,000 children under 4 years old are obese or overweight, while some 64,000 children between the ages of 4 and 12 face the same challenge.
With reports from NMás
