Bulgaria is among the countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe - nearly one in three children are overweight

Sofia, Bulgaria 10 September 2025 – Obesity surpassed underweight as the more prevalent form of malnutrition this year, affecting 1 in 10 – or 188 million – school-aged children and adolescents, and placing them at risk of life-threatening disease, UNICEF warned in a new report today. 

Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children draws on data from over 190 countries and finds the prevalence of underweight among children aged 5-19 has declined since 2000, from nearly 13 per cent to 9.2 per cent, while obesity rates have increased from 3 per cent to 9.4 per cent. Obesity now exceeds underweight in all regions of the world, except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

According to data from UNICEF Innocenti’s Report Card 19, 29.2% of Bulgarian children aged 5 to 19 were overweight in 2022, compared to 27.6% in 2018—an increase that reflects the global negative trend. Childhood obesity in OECD and European countries has risen from 17% in 1990 to 28% in 2022, placing Bulgaria among the countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.

A key finding of Report Card 19 is that the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children must be understood within the broader context of changing food environments in which they are raised. Our diets are changing, and these changes affect children’s health. In particular, there is a global pattern of increased consumption of foods high in sugars, salt and unhealthy fat, and low in essential vitamins and minerals.  The analysis in Report Card 19 also highlights a link between socioeconomic factors and children's health. Other contributing factors include the widespread use of digital technologies, leading to reduced physical activity among children, as well as the pervasive advertising and marketing of ultra-processed unhealthy foods.

“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children. Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health. Nutritious and affordable food must be available to every child to support their growth and development. We urgently need policies that support parents and caretakers to access nutritious and healthy foods for their children.”  - said Russel.

While undernutrition – such as wasting and stunting – remains a significant concern among children under 5 in most low- and middle-income countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing among school aged children and adolescents. According to the latest available data, 1 in 5 children and adolescents aged 5-19 globally – or 391 million – are overweight, with a large proportion of them now classified as living with obesity[1].

The report warns that ultra-processed and fast foods – high in sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats and additives – are shaping children’s diets through unhealthy food environments, rather than personal choice. These products dominate shops and schools, while digital marketing gives the food and beverage industry powerful access to young audiences.

The report also highlights positive steps and good practices – for example, in Mexico, where the government recently banned the sale of ultra-processed foods in public schools in an effort to improve the nutritional environment for millions of children.

To transform food environments and ensure children have access to nutritious diets, UNICEF is calling on governments, civil society, and partners to urgently: 

• Implement comprehensive mandatory policies to improve children’s food environments, including food labelling, food marketing restrictions, and food taxes and subsidies.
• Implement social and behaviour change initiatives that empower families and communities to demand healthier food environments.
• Ban the provision or sale of ultra-processed and junk foods in schools and prohibit food marketing and sponsorship in schools.
• Establish strong safeguards to protect public policy processes from interference by the ultra-processed food industry.
• Strengthen social protection programmes to address income poverty and improve financial access to nutritious diets for vulnerable families.

[1] Children are considered overweight when they are significantly heavier than what is healthy for their age, sex and height. Obesity is a severe form of overweight and leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and high blood pressure, as well as life-threatening diseases later in life, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.

Notes for editors:

The Child Nutrition Report 2025 draws on data from over 190 countries and includes household surveys, modelled estimates, projections, and polls.

Data on overweight, stunting and wasting among children under the age of 5 from 2000-2024 are based on UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition estimates.

For children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, data on overweight, obesity and underweight is modelled using population-based surveys, administrative data or studies that measured height and weight in representative samples. Country level data is available from 2000-2022 and coordinated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC).

To ascertain obesity surpassing underweight among children aged 5-19 years, UNICEF projected prevalence from 2022 onwards, based on trends in prevalence of obesity and underweight from 2010 to 2022.
Categories of overweight, obesity and underweight (thinness) are defined based on body mass index (BMI). For school-aged children and adolescents aged 5-19 years:  

• Overweight is defined as a BMI greater than 1 standard deviation above the median, according to the WHO references for school-age children and adolescents.
• Obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 2 standard deviations above the median, according to the WHO references for school-age children and adolescents.
• Underweight, also known as thinness, is defined as a BMI less than 2 standard deviations below the median, according to the WHO references for school-age children and adolescents.

Child malnutrition has three dimensions: undernutrition (stunting and wasting), overweight/obesity and hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiencies.

Ultra-processed foods are industrially formulated foods and beverages made primarily from refined ingredients and additives, with little or no whole foods. They often contain high levels of added sugars, refined starches, salt, and unhealthy fats, and are designed to be convenient, highly palatable, and appealing through marketing, packaging, and branding. 
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