War, Abuse, Obesity: The 2026 KidsRights Index Reveals a Generation Under Threat.

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KidsRights Index 2026: Youth Obesity Now a Global Epidemic

Obesity is rising among the youngest generations on every continent. Read this and other key findings in the KidsRights Index 2026.

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About the KidsRights Index

The KidsRights Index is the first and the only global ranking that annually measures how children’s rights are respected worldwide and to what extent countries are committed to improving the rights of children. It synthesizes and ranks the children’s rights performance records of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in relation to the most crucial aspects of children’s lives for which global and comparable data is available. The KidsRights Index 2026 is the 14th annual Report and covers 194 countries.

Governments around the world use our Index as their primary benchmark for children’s rights – and as a wake-up call when action is needed. It turns data into pressure, and pressure into change.

The first KidsRights Index was launched in 2013, in cooperation with the Erasmus University. Since its inception it grew into a leading instrument for governments and policymakers around the globe.

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Key findings of the KidsRights Index 2026

For the press KidsRights Index 19 June 2026

KidsRights Index 2026 summarized: Children increasingly used as weapons of war and obesity reaches epidemic levels

KidsRights Index 18 June 2026

Childhood obesity becomes a global epidemic

KidsRights Index 19 June 2026

One in five children is growing up within range of a war zone

The KidsRights Index creates a basis for making concrete and evidence-based recommendations on how governments might improve on various children’s rights matters. It is widely used by stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, media, child and human rights defenders, civil society organizations, businesses and financial institutions in advancing and mainstreaming children’s rights.

Explore the KidsRights Index Dashboard

Click on any country to explore detailed data on children’s rights. See where progress is made, and where the world still falls short. The numbers tell the story. What does yours say?

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Countries with the highest change compared to last year

Countries efforts in implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child is changing across the world. Both for the better and for the worse. In this overview, you’ll find the biggest gainers and losers. Click on a country for a detailed overview.

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📅 Comparison 2025 → 2026

📉 Top 20 decreasing countries

📈 Top 20 increasing countries

"Whether children are growing up in the shadow of war or in environments that undermine their health, the result is the same: their rights, wellbeing and future opportunities are being put at risk. The world is failing to provide children with the protection they are entitled to."

- Marc Dullaert, Founder and Chair of KidsRights Foundation

Regional insights

Explore the regional performance on children’s rights realization based on the KidsRights Index 2026!

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Our partners

The KidsRights Index is developed by the KidsRights Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University Rotterdam: Erasmus School of Economics and International Institute of Social Studies.