Economic Survey Flags Obesity as a Major Threat to India's Health

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The Economic Survey 2023-24 [PDF], tabled on July 22, 2024 in Parliament, had raised concerns over two critical aspects of health: the rise in obesity and mental health crisis.

Highlights:

  • 56.4 per cent of the total disease burden in India is due to unhealthy diets.
  • Obesity is emerging as a serious concern among India’s adult population. 
  • Rise in children is the steepest in the world for India, behind Vietnam and Namibia.
  • The incidence of obesity is significantly higher in urban India than in rural India.
  • Over 100 million people in the country may have diabetes, one of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
  • The prevalence of NCDs in India has tripled since 1995.
  • Nutrition literacy must be promoted in schools, primary health care settings and through mass media. 

Percentage of adults facing obesity by gender and State
The Economic Survey 2024-25[^PDF], reported that ultra processed food consumption (a key contributor to NCDs) in India surged from $900 million (2006) to $37.9 billion (2019), growing at over 33% annually.

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