NATIONAL: Urban India is edging towards what researchers call a metabolic inflection point. Sedentary work, richer diets and stress-heavy lives are swelling the ranks of the overweight and diabetic, forcing a rethink of healthcare priorities.
Ahead of World Obesity Day, Kantar India released its GLP-1 Opportunity Index Report, mapping the scale of the crisis and probing awareness of GLP-1 therapies, a fast-rising class of drugs used globally to manage diabetes and cut weight.
The numbers are stark. Roughly 20 per cent, or 73 million, of urban Indians aged 15 and above are overweight or obese. An estimated 101 million Indians live with diabetes, while another 136 million hover at pre-diabetic risk. Urban prevalence stands at 14.2 per cent, far above rural India’s 8.3 per cent.
Yet treatment literacy lags. Although 85 per cent of overweight individuals say they are trying to lose weight, just 4.99 per cent of urban Indians are aware of GLP-1 therapies.
Where awareness exists, intent follows. Among diabetics who know of GLP-1 drugs, 49.2 per cent say they are likely to use them. Some 44.1 per cent favour weekly dosage formats, signalling appetite for convenience-led care.
The burden is not evenly spread. Gen X accounts for 40 per cent of the overweight base and 73 per cent of urban diabetes cases, making mid-life Indians the epicentre of the crisis. Affluent NCCS A households , 40 per cent of the urban population, represent 46 per cent of the overweight segment. Within this group, 36 per cent report having experienced diabetes in the past year.
Geography sharpens the divide. South India makes up 36 per cent of the overweight population and 43 per cent of urban diabetes cases. Kerala and Telangana lead in penetration, a pattern the report links to rapid urbanisation, sedentary jobs and lifestyle shifts.
Kantar director specialist businesses, South Asia Puneet Avasthi, called the obesity-diabetes spiral one of the decade’s most consequential healthcare turning points. The commercial opportunity for GLP-1 therapies, he said, is sizeable, but will hinge on education and speed.
Kantar associate vice president, specialist businesses, South Asia Soumajit Dey said the study quantifies the yawning gap between disease burden and treatment awareness, offering sharper cues for regional and demographic targeting.
The media prescription is equally pointed. Television, with 79 per cent reach among high-risk, mid-life audiences, should serve as the anchor medium, the report argues, backed by digital, print, radio and outdoor to push reach towards 95 per cent and sustain engagement.
As global fervour around next-generation metabolic drugs intensifies, India looks less like a late entrant and more like an under-informed giant. For pharma and healthcare brands, the window to define leadership in the GLP-1 race may be narrow and lucrative.