The number of obese people in China is rising, People's Daily reported on Friday.

The number of obese people under the age of 18 has reached 120 million, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the newspaper reported.

In 2010, a national survey showed the obesity rate for people aged over 18 was 12 percent and the overweight rate was 30 percent.

In the past 10 years, the average weight increase in Chinese people has been almost equivalent to the average weight gain among people in Western countries over the past 30 years, said Wang Mei, a researcher at the China Institute of Sports Science.

Excessive eating and drinking caused obesity problem, which could increase the country's healthcare burden, said Ma Guansheng, an expert at the center.