Women in South India, Delhi, Punjab have higher levels of obesity

Rising obesity rates in India, particularly among women in South Indian States, highlighted with BMI data and PM Modi's advice.

About a fourth of men and women in India were either ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’ in 2019-21, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2015-16, underscoring the rising health risk posed by obesity in the country. While the problem is prominent among women in most South Indian States, as well as in Delhi and Punjab, the rate of increase in obesity among men was faster. Moreover, less than a fifth of men and women in 2019-21 could be categorised as ‘thin’, a significant decline from the figures in 2015-16, according to data from the National Family Health Survey.

Last week, in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against the rising obesity rates in India, particularly among children. He also advised people to reduce the intake of oil by 10% each month to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Increase in BMI

The average body mass index (BMI), which measures body fat relative to a person’s weight and height, is considered as a metric of obesity.

While the average BMI for Indian males increased by 0.6 points from 21.8 in 2015-16 to 22.4 in 2019-21, the corresponding rise in BMI for women was 0.5 points from 21.9 to 22.4 in the same period.

Chart 1 shows the gender-wise change in overweight and obesity levels in India based on BMI figures. Any person with a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 would be considered ‘overweight’ and an index above 30 would be considered ‘obese’.

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