Scientists have become alarmed at the vast amount of obese and overweight children around the world, with numbers topping 41 million.

The World Health Organization announced on Monday that that figure has jumped by 10 million sine 1990, and the number of obese children in low- to middle-income countries has risen above that in high-income countries, according to Reuters report.

More specifically, a total of 15.5 million of overweight children are in developing countries, which is more than double what it was in 2014.

In a statement, WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) co-chair Sania Nishtar said: “Overweight and obesity impact on a child’s quality of life, as they face a wide range of barriers, including physical, psychological and health consequences. We know that obesity can impact on educational attainment too and this, combined with the likelihood that they will remain obese into adulthood, poses major health and economic consequences for them, their families and society as a whole.”

Authorities blame the marketing of unhealthy food for being a large cause of this massive increase.

Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Botswana, and Algeria had the highest levels of obese kids in the African continent, which has seen obesity levels rise to 25 percent of children.

“Increased political commitment is needed to tackle the global challenge of childhood overweight and obesity,” says Sir Peter Gluckman, Commission co-chair, said in a statement. “WHO needs to work with governments to implement a wide range of measures that address the environmental causes of obesity and overweight, and help give children the healthy start to life they deserve.”