Facts checked on 30 October 2026.
NFHS-5, India's National Family Health Survey for 2019-21, found 24.0 % of women and 22.9 % of men aged 15-49 overweight or obese at the WHO cut-off of BMI 251,2. ICMR-INDIAB, the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes study, measured adults aged 20 and over in 2008-20203. Under the WHO Asia Pacific guidelines it found generalised obesity in 28.6 % and abdominal obesity in 39.5 %3. The Global Burden of Disease study estimates that 180 million Indian adults aged 25 and over had overweight or obesity in 2021, second only to China4. India's own cut-offs are lower than the WHO's: a BMI of 23.00 to 24.99 counts as overweight and 25 or more as obesity5. Each figure below names its survey.
Obesity in India at a glance. Figures as published by each source; the surveys use different ages and cut-offs, so the rows are not directly comparable1,3,4.
| Measure | Figure | Who | Cut-off | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overweight or obese, women | 24.0 % | Women 15-49 | BMI 25.0 or more | NFHS-5, 2019-211 |
| Overweight or obese, men | 22.9 % | Men 15-49 | BMI 25.0 or more | NFHS-5, 2019-211 |
| Generalised obesity | 28.6 % | Adults 20 and over | WHO Asia Pacific guidelines | ICMR-INDIAB-17, 2008-20203 |
| Abdominal obesity | 39.5 % | Adults 20 and over | Waist 90 cm or more (men), 80 cm or more (women) | ICMR-INDIAB-17, 2008-20203,6 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio at risk, women | 56.6 % | Women 15-49 | 0.85 or more | NFHS-5, 2019-211 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio at risk, men | 47.7 % | Men 15-49 | 0.90 or more | NFHS-5, 2019-211 |
| Overweight, children | 3.4 % | Children under 5 | Weight-for-height above +2 SD | NFHS-5, 2019-211 |
| Adults with overweight or obesity | 180 million (modelled) | Adults 25 and over | Overweight or obesity as GBD defines it | GBD 20214 |
| Diabetes and prediabetes | 11.4 % and 15.3 % | Adults 20 and over | WHO criteria | ICMR-INDIAB-17, 2008-20203 |
| PCOS | 19.6 % (Rotterdam), 7.2 % (NIH) | Women 18-40 | Two definitions | ICMR PCOS Task Force, 2018-20227 |
| Fatty liver (NAFLD) | 38.6 % | Adults | Pooled, 54 adult datasets (50 studies) | Shalimar et al., 20228 |
Facts checked on 30 October 2026.
How this page was checked. This page cites sixteen sources from India, South Asia (one review) and global bodies (WHO, NCD-RisC, the Global Burden of Disease study). Each figure was checked against its saved source on 30 October 2026, and secondary reports are marked as reported. A Zelta doctor has not yet reviewed this page.
How many Indians are overweight or obese?
In 2019-21, NFHS-5 found 24.0 % of women and 22.9 % of men aged 15-49 overweight or obese (BMI 25.0 or more)1. Of these, 17.6 % of women and 18.9 % of men were overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), and 6.4 % and 4.0 % were obese (BMI 30.0 or more)1. Mean BMI at ages 15-49 was 22.4 for both women and men1. The women's figures leave out pregnant women and women who gave birth in the two months before1.
ICMR-INDIAB (2008-2020) gives a higher figure, 28.6 % generalised obesity under the WHO Asia Pacific guidelines, but it counts adults aged 20 and over, not 15-491,3. For the medicines, see our page on semaglutide India.
Is obesity in India rising? The NFHS-4 to NFHS-5 trend
Overweight or obesity (BMI 25.0 or more) among women aged 15-49 rose from 20.7 % in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 24.0 % in NFHS-5 (2019-21), while thinness fell from 22.9 % to 18.7 %1,9.
NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) national reports, Tables 10.19.1, 10.19.2 and 10.1, all India1,9.
| Indicator | NFHS-4 (2015-16) | NFHS-5 (2019-21) |
|---|---|---|
| Women overweight or obese (%) | 20.7 | 24.01,9 |
| Men overweight or obese (%) | 18.9 | 22.91,9 |
| Women obese (%) | 5.1 | 6.41,9 |
| Men obese (%) | 3.0 | 4.01,9 |
| Women thin (%) | 22.9 | 18.71,9 |
| Men thin (%) | 20.2 | 16.21,9 |
| Mean BMI, women / men | 21.9 / 21.8 | 22.4 / 22.41,9 |
| Children under 5 overweight (%) | 2.1 | 3.41,9 |
Facts checked on 30 October 2026.
Obesity rate in India by state: which states have the most overweight or obese adults?
In NFHS-5 (2019-21), Puducherry has the highest share of overweight or obese women, 46.3 %, followed by Chandigarh (44.0 %), Delhi (41.4 %), Punjab (40.8 %) and Tamil Nadu (40.5 %)1. Among men, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands lead with 45.3 %, then Puducherry (43.3 %) and Lakshadweep (41.3 %)1. The lowest shares are in Meghalaya (11.5 % of women, 13.9 % of men), Jharkhand (11.9 % of women) and Bihar (14.7 % of men)1.
The shares use the WHO cut-off of BMI 25.0; India's own cut-offs start lower1,5.
All thirty-six states and union territories, ages 15-49, sorted by the women's share1. Overweight or obese means BMI 25.0 or more and obese 30.0 or more, from NFHS-5 (2019-21), Tables 10.20.1 and 10.20.21.
| State or union territory | Women overweight or obese (%) | Women obese (%) | Men overweight or obese (%) | Men obese (%) | Women mean BMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 24.0 | 6.4 | 22.9 | 4.0 | 22.41 |
| Puducherry | 46.3 | 18.2 | 43.3 | 9.2 | 25.21 |
| Chandigarh | 44.0 | 16.3 | 34.4 | 8.6 | 24.51 |
| Delhi | 41.4 | 14.2 | 38.0 | 6.9 | 24.51 |
| Punjab | 40.8 | 14.2 | 32.3 | 8.3 | 24.31 |
| Tamil Nadu | 40.5 | 14.1 | 37.1 | 8.7 | 24.31 |
| Kerala | 38.2 | 9.8 | 36.4 | 6.7 | 24.11 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 38.1 | 12.6 | 45.3 | 10.8 | 24.21 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 36.3 | 12.0 | 31.1 | 6.3 | 23.81 |
| Goa | 36.1 | 9.5 | 32.6 | 2.8 | 23.71 |
| Sikkim | 34.8 | 6.9 | 36.3 | 5.8 | 23.91 |
| Manipur | 34.1 | 7.4 | 30.3 | 3.9 | 23.81 |
| Lakshadweep | 33.5 | 6.9 | 41.3 | 5.0 | 23.61 |
| Haryana | 33.1 | 9.9 | 28.3 | 5.9 | 23.41 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 30.4 | 7.5 | 30.6 | 4.5 | 23.21 |
| Karnataka | 30.2 | 8.5 | 30.9 | 5.8 | 23.01 |
| Telangana | 30.1 | 8.9 | 32.4 | 7.5 | 22.91 |
| Uttarakhand | 29.8 | 7.4 | 27.1 | 5.0 | 23.11 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 29.4 | 4.8 | 31.7 | 3.0 | 23.61 |
| Ladakh | 28.3 | 3.2 | 37.8 | 2.9 | 23.61 |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 26.9 | 7.0 | 21.4 | 3.1 | 22.21 |
| Mizoram | 24.2 | 4.6 | 32.1 | 5.6 | 23.21 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 23.9 | 3.8 | 27.6 | 3.6 | 23.21 |
| Maharashtra | 23.5 | 6.3 | 24.7 | 4.7 | 22.31 |
| Odisha | 23.0 | 5.2 | 22.2 | 4.1 | 22.11 |
| Gujarat | 22.7 | 6.9 | 20.0 | 4.4 | 22.01 |
| West Bengal | 22.7 | 4.6 | 16.2 | 1.9 | 22.51 |
| Tripura | 21.6 | 3.9 | 23.5 | 3.0 | 22.31 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 21.4 | 5.2 | 18.5 | 2.9 | 22.21 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 16.6 | 3.7 | 15.6 | 2.6 | 21.51 |
| Bihar | 16.0 | 3.3 | 14.7 | 1.7 | 21.31 |
| Assam | 15.2 | 2.5 | 16.2 | 1.9 | 21.71 |
| Nagaland | 14.4 | 1.8 | 23.9 | 2.6 | 22.01 |
| Chhattisgarh | 14.1 | 3.3 | 15.0 | 2.3 | 21.31 |
| Rajasthan | 12.9 | 2.7 | 15.0 | 1.2 | 21.41 |
| Jharkhand | 11.9 | 2.5 | 15.1 | 1.4 | 21.01 |
| Meghalaya | 11.5 | 1.4 | 13.9 | 1.6 | 21.71 |
Facts checked on 30 October 2026.
Urban and rural obesity in India
In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 33 % of urban women and 20 % of rural women were overweight or obese (BMI 25.0 or more); among men the figures were 30 % and 19 %1. The share climbs with wealth. It was 10 % of women in the poorest fifth of households and 39 % in the richest; for men, 10 % and 37 %1. It also climbs with age: 5.4 % of women aged 15-19 against 36.9 % at 40-49, and 7 % of men aged 15-19 against 32 % at 40-491.
ICMR-INDIAB found every metabolic disease it measured, except prediabetes, more often in urban areas than in rural ones3.
Obesity in Indian women and men: what differs
Indian women carry more obesity at BMI 30.0 or more: 6.4 % against 4.0 % of men in NFHS-5 (2019-21)1. Women also exceed the waist cut-offs more often: 39.9 % had a waist above 80 cm, against 12.4 % of men above 94 cm1. NFHS-5 used waist cut-offs of 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men; ICMR-INDIAB-23 used 80 cm and 90 cm1,6.In the 2025 ICMR-INDIAB-23 analysis, 32.9 % of women and 23.2 % of men were both obese and metabolically unhealthy6. For women who also have polycystic ovary syndrome, our page on PCOS weight loss covers what the studies report.
Childhood obesity in India: statistics
In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 3.4 % of children under 5 were overweight (weight-for-height above +2 SD), up from 2.1 % in NFHS-4 (2015-16)1,9.
A 2024 NCD-RisC analysis in The Lancet names India among south Asian countries where combined thinness and obesity in school-age children was high, and where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined10.
What is the Indian BMI cut-off for overweight and obesity?
In India, overweight is a BMI of 23.00 to 24.99 and obesity is a BMI of 25 or more, according to a government backgrounder from the Press Information Bureau5. The WHO's general cut-offs are 25 for overweight and 30 for obesity2. A WHO expert consultation found that many Asian people have a high risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease below BMI 2511. An Indian consensus statement of 2009 says the limits of normal BMI are narrower and lower in Asian Indians12. It estimated that its cut-offs would label an additional 10-15 % of India's population overweight or obese12.
BMI and waist cut-offs used by the sources on this page1,2,3,5,6.
| Definition | Overweight from | Obesity from | Waist (men / women) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHO, general | BMI 25 | BMI 30 | Not part of this definition | WHO fact sheet2 |
| India, government backgrounder | BMI 23.00 | BMI 25 | Not stated | Press Information Bureau, 20265 |
| ICMR-INDIAB (WHO Asia Pacific) | Not reported | WHO Asia Pacific guidelines | 90 cm or more / 80 cm or more | ICMR-INDIAB, 2023 and 20253,6 |
| NFHS-5 reporting | BMI 25.0 | BMI 30.0 | Above 94 cm / above 80 cm; waist-to-hip 0.90 / 0.85 | NFHS-5, Tables 10.20.1 and 10.211 |
Facts checked on 30 October 2026.
In June 2026, the expert committee of CDSCO, India's drug regulator, said that removing the BMI cut-off from tirzepatide's Indian indication was not appropriate, because obesity is defined differently for US and Asian populations13. Mounjaro launched in India in March 2025, PTI reported, for adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with a weight-related condition14. Zydus's filing gives the same figures for its semaglutide, for use alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity15. These indications apply to the medicines; they do not change India's definition of obesity. Our page on who should not take semaglutide covers who these medicines are not for.
Abdominal obesity in India
ICMR-INDIAB (2008-2020) found abdominal obesity under the WHO Asia Pacific guidelines in 39.5 % of adults aged 20 and over, more than the 28.6 % with generalised obesity3. A 2025 paper by the same group cites the study's estimate of 254 million adults with generalised obesity and 351 million with abdominal obesity6. The Global Burden of Disease model puts overweight or obesity at 180 million in 2021; the two differ in method (survey against model) and age band (20 and over against 25 and over)3,4. NFHS-5, which measured waists for the first time in 2019-21, found 56.6 % of women and 47.7 % of men with a waist-to-hip ratio that puts them at substantially increased risk of metabolic complications1. That share rises with age, from 46 % of women aged 15-19 to 65 % at 40-49, and from 28 % to 60 % in men1.
Diabetes and prediabetes prevalence in India
ICMR-INDIAB (2008-2020) found diabetes in 11.4 % and prediabetes in 15.3 % of adults aged 20 and over, diagnosed by WHO criteria3. The same study found hypertension in 35.5 % and dyslipidaemia, an unhealthy level of blood fats, in 81.2 %3. NFHS-5 (2019-21) used a random blood glucose reading, not a WHO diagnosis, and found 12 % of women and 14 % of men aged 15 and over above 140 mg/dl1,3. It also found hypertension in 21 % of women and 24 % of men aged 15 and over1.
PCOS prevalence in India
The ICMR PCOS Task Force (2018-2022) found polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in 19.6 % of Indian women aged 18-40 by the Rotterdam criteria7. By the AE-PCOS criteria the figure was 13.6 %, and by the NIH criteria 7.2 %7. All three come from the same 8,993 women; the figure depends on the definition used7. Among the 1,224 women with PCOS, 43.2 % had obesity and 32.9 % had fatty liver disease7.
Fatty liver prevalence in India
A 2022 review of 50 Indian studies pooled fatty liver disease in 38.6 % of adults, from 54 adult datasets; the authors put it as about one in three adults or children8. The figure was 28.1 % in average-risk groups and 52.8 % in high-risk groups8. A 2025 South Asian review, with 53 of its 62 studies from India, pooled MASLD, the newer name, at 34.7 % in studies not selected for diabetes and 60.0 % in studies of people with type 2 diabetes16. These are pooled estimates, not a national survey.
How many Indians will be obese by 2050? The projections
The Global Burden of Disease study forecasts 450 million people in India with overweight or obesity by 2050, the second-largest number after China4. For 2021 it estimated 180 million Indian adults aged 25 and over, behind China's 402 million and ahead of the USA's 172 million4. Worldwide, it forecasts 3.80 billion people over 25 with overweight or obesity by 20504. All of these are modelled estimates, not counts.
Frequently asked questions
How many people in India have obesity? It depends on the cut-off. At the WHO's BMI 30, NFHS-5 (2019-21) found 6.4 % of women and 4.0 % of men aged 15-49 obese1,2. At BMI 25, which India's government counts as obesity, the shares were 24.0 % and 22.9 %1,5.
What BMI counts as obese in India? A BMI of 25 or more, under the Indian government's definition; overweight is 23.00 to 24.995.
Which Indian state has the highest obesity rate? Puducherry for women (46.3 % overweight or obese, BMI 25.0 or more) and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for men (45.3 %), in NFHS-5 (2019-21)1.
Is obesity more common in Indian women or men? In women, at both cut-offs: in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 6.4 % of women and 4.0 % of men were obese (BMI 30.0 or more), and 24.0 % against 22.9 % were overweight or obese (BMI 25.0 or more)1.
What percentage of Indian children are overweight? In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 3.4 % of children under 5 were overweight1.
How many Indians have diabetes or prediabetes? ICMR-INDIAB (2008-2020) found diabetes in 11.4 % and prediabetes in 15.3 % of adults aged 20 and over3.
How to cite this page, and when it is next checked
You can cite this page as: Zelta, "Obesity in India statistics", zelta.in/feed/obesity-in-india-statistics, facts checked on 30 October 2026. Please also cite the primary source named in the row you use.
Sources and update schedule. This page is re-checked quarterly, and the next scheduled check is on 30 January 2027. It is updated sooner when a new national survey or Lancet estimate is published, and each figure links to its source.
Talk to a Zelta specialist if you want to discuss your own weight with a doctor.
Sources
- IIPS and ICF, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 2019-21, India report, Vol. I, 2022 (DHS Program FR375)
- WHO fact sheet 'Obesity and overweight' (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Anjana RM et al., ICMR-INDIAB-17, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 2023;11(7):474-489 (PubMed abstract)
- GBD 2021 Adult BMI Collaborators, Lancet 2025;405:813-838 (full text, PMC11920007)
- PIB backgrounder 'GLP-1 Drugs: Use, Risks, and Regulation', 2026-04-01
- Mohan D et al., ICMR-INDIAB-23, Indian J Med Res 2025;161(5):461-472 (full text, PMC12550443)
- Ganie MA et al., ICMR PCOS Task Force, JAMA Network Open 2024;7(10):e2440583 (PubMed abstract)
- Shalimar et al., J Clin Exp Hepatol 2022;12(3):818-829 (PubMed abstract)
- IIPS and ICF, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) 2015-16, India report, 2017 (DHS Program FR339)
- NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), Lancet 2024;403:1027-1050 (PubMed abstract)
- Lancet 2004 (WHO expert consultation), PubMed abstract, PMID 14726171
- J Assoc Physicians India 2009 (Misra et al. consensus), PubMed abstract, PMID 19582986
- CDSCO SEC (Endocrinology & Metabolism) minutes, 2026-06-24
- The Week / PTI, 2025-03-20
- Zydus Lifesciences NSE filing, 2026-03-17
- James M et al., J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2025;40(12):2830-2841 (PubMed abstract)
Medical Disclaimer
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication. The clinical trial results cited in this article reflect study averages from specific trial populations and may not predict individual outcomes. Drug availability, approved indications, and brand names vary by country and are subject to regulatory decisions by bodies such as the CDSCO in India, the FDA in the United States, and the EMA in Europe. Zelta does not endorse one medication over another. All treatment decisions are made by your prescribing clinician based on your individual health profile.