Recent research led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), analyzing data from more than 52,000 married couples across India (using the NFHS-5, 2019–21 data), confirms that over one in four (27.4%) Indian married couples are now overweight or obese. This growing trend is referred to as “spousal concordance” in obesity—meaning both partners in a marriage tend to share similar weight statuses, influenced by shared habits, routines, and lifestyles.

Key insights from this research include:

Urban and Affluent Households at Greater Risk: Obesity rates are higher among urban and wealthy couples. Nearly 47.6% of couples in the richest income group are overweight or obese, and in urban areas, the rate jumps to 38.4%, compared to 22.1% in rural areas.

Regional Variation: Some states show even more alarming rates. Kerala (51.3%), Jammu and Kashmir (48.5%), Manipur (47.9%), Delhi (47.1%), Goa (45%), Tamil Nadu (42.7%), and Punjab (42.5%) report the highest couple obesity rates.

Younger Couples Affected: The trend is particularly high among couples under 30, indicating that shared habits are driving obesity earlier in life, heightening the risk for chronic diseases in the most productive years.

Shared Behaviors: Common factors fueling this trend include joint consumption of calorie-dense meals, fast food, sedentary lifestyles, binge-watching TV, and reliance on food delivery apps. Couples with similar media habits or educational backgrounds had even higher concordance in obesity.

Lifestyle over Genetics: Unlike hereditary conditions, spousal obesity aligns more with mutual environment, diet, and socio-economic status than with shared genes.

This emergence of couple-based obesity in India signals an urgent need for interventions targeting household and community-level behaviors instead of focusing solely on individuals. Addressing this trend is critical to combat the growing risk of obesity-linked diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular issues among Indian families.