Obesity

Prevalence of obesity among adults (both sexes) worldwide in per cent. According to the WHO definition, a person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 is considered obese. BMI is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared.

Overflowing plates and growing bellies – an escalating crisis

In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults or 39% of all people aged 18 years and older were classified as overweight, 650 million of whom were obese. The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. Among the main causes of excess weight are the increasing intake of foods high in saturated fats, salt and sugar coupled with lack of physical activity. Being overweight and obese was once considered a problem of high-income countries, but rates are now also on the rise in low- and middle-income countries. It is common to find undernutrition and obesity co-existing within the same country, the same community or even the same household. And the outlook for the next generation of adults is bleak: Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016. The prevalence of the overweight and obese in this age group has risendramatically from 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016.