Health Slightly fewer overweight children than 15 years ago
The number of overweight primary school children has fallen only slightly over the last 15 years. According to the latest figures released by Health Promotion Switzerland on Monday, the proportion at primary school level is currently the lowest at just over 11 percent.
27.10.2025, 10:40
SDA
The latest survey is based on data from over 30,000 schoolchildren from eleven cantons and four cities. According to a press release issued on Monday, there has been a significant decline in the proportion of overweight children at primary level from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 11.1 percent in 2025.
At middle school level, the proportion initially fell between 2010 (19.1 percent) and 2017 (16.5 percent), but has since risen again to 18.6 percent. At upper secondary level, the proportion has stagnated since 2010 and currently stands at 20.9%.
Slight decline since 2010
Compared to the first report from 2010, there has been an overall decrease of 1.3 percentage points. In view of the scarce resources available for the prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents and rising international figures, this can be seen as a partial success, writes Health Promotion Switzerland.
The results show clear regional differences: at primary school level, the proportion of overweight children varies by around six percentage points depending on the canton, and by more than eight percentage points at upper school level. While earlier evaluations showed clear differences between urban and rural areas, these differences are hardly detectable today.
Origin and life context as risk factors
The risk of obesity is closely linked to the living conditions of children and families, as Health Promotion Switzerland has found. Children of parents with no post-compulsory education are over three times as likely to be overweight as those of parents with a tertiary education. The proportion is also significantly higher among schoolchildren without a Swiss passport (24%) than among their Swiss peers (14.2%).
Targeted measures are still needed, especially for children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Health Promotion Switzerland, the main problem is not the lack of offers, but their reach.
