Obesity in China: current progress and future prospects

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in China has continued to increase over the last decade, with mounting health and economic consequences. In this Personal View, we critically examine recent advances and identify current and emerging challenges in obesity across public health and policy, clinical research, and practice. National policy frameworks, technical health and nutrition guidelines, and multisectoral collaboration have elevated obesity on the public agenda. Evidence supporting lifestyle interventions and medications for obesity continues to accumulate. Since 2021, five additional GLP-1 receptor agonists (including liraglutide, beinaglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide, and mazdutide) have been approved in China for weight management, broadening therapeutic choices and initiating a transformation in obesity care. Nevertheless, several key challenges remain which can undermine the sustained impact of the progress. These include limitations in existing diagnostic criteria for obesity which captures phenotypic and cardiometabolic heterogeneity; limited availability of quantifiable, actionable, and accountable national targets which weakens governance and evaluation; and a scarcity of evidence-based algorithms for obesity pharmacotherapy, which risks over-reliance on medication and diverts attention from socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioural determinants. We call for people-centred, integrated systems that embed whole-person obesity care within a planetary health framework and deliver a coherent continuum of prevention, treatment, and long-term support.