Overview

The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was established in 2007 to meet the need for standardized data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school-aged children. For over 15 years, it has been monitoring trends in these critical public health issues.

This factsheet presents findings from the sixth round of data collection, conducted between 2022 and 2024, which measured approximately 470,000 children in 37 countries in the Region. These are the first estimates following the COVID-19 pandemic, offering valuable insights into how the burden of childhood overweight and obesity has evolved in the post-pandemic period.

By enabling intercountry comparisons and tracking progress over time, the data collected through COSI continue to highlight the significant public health challenge posed by childhood obesity in the Region and play a crucial role for monitoring progress toward the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs in 2025, aiming to halt the rise in obesity and achieve SDG Target 3.4 to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third.