Epidemiology of obesity

[4] Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2, and in June 2013 the American Medical Association classified it as a disease.

[7] Globally, there are now more people who are obese than who are underweight, a trend observed in every region over the world except parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

[10] Since body fat can be measured in several ways, statistics on the epidemiology of obesity vary between sources.

While BMI is the most basic and commonly used indicator of obesity, other measures include waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, skinfold thicknesses, and bioelectrical impedance.

[15] In Egypt, according to data from the 2016 Global Burden of Disease study, overweight and obesity (as measured by high BMI) was the country's leading risk factor driving the most death and disability combined.

[17] This is believed to be primarily due to the rapid declines in physical activity and changing dietary habits which have occurred between the 1980s and the 2000s.

[21] Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and NGOs such as the Indian Heart Association have been raising awareness about this issue.

[24] With people moving into urban centers and wealth increasing, concerns about an obesity epidemic in India are growing.

[26][27] However, as Asian populations are particularly susceptible to the health risks of excess adipose tissue, the Japanese have redefined obesity as any BMI greater than 25.

[30] Changing lifestyles, owing to urbanisation, as well as diet issues are the main reasons for obesity in Pakistan.

Men, the elderly and people with lower educations also have significantly higher obesity rates.

[12][35] Epidemiological data show that, among high-income countries, obesity prevalence is highest in the United States and Mexico.

To combat the epidemic, in 2014 Mexico implemented new taxes levied on food with excessive energy content and on sugar-sweetened beverages.

[40] According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study collected between the 1970s and 2004, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased steadily among all groups of Americans.

[52] However, in 2005 using different methodology, research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a nationwide estimate of 129,000 excess deaths per year relative to individuals with a BMI of 21 to 25.

[55] Trinidad and Tobago has the highest obesity in the Caribbean, with over 30% of its adult population overweight, ranking the country sixth in the world.

[60] In 2011/12, 28.4% of New Zealand adults were obese,[61] a number only surpassed in the English-speaking world by the United States.

Being big has traditionally been associated with health, beauty, and status and many of these beliefs remain prevalent today.

[62] Estimated prevalence of obesity with BMI >= 30 among adults by country according to World Health Organization for year 2022:[63]

Share of adults with BMIs > 30 (2022)
World obesity prevalence among males: [ 1 ]
<5%
5-10%
10-15%
15-20%
20-25%
25-30%
30-35%
35-40%
40-45%
45-50%
50-55%
>55%
World obesity prevalence among females: [ 1 ]
<5%
5-10%
10-15%
15-20%
20-25%
25-30%
30-35%
35-40%
40-45%
45-50%
50-55%
>55%
Rates of obesity in the Netherlands between 1981 and 2006
Obesity rates as a percentage of total population in OECD member countries in the years 1996–2003 (according to BMI ) [ 26 ]
The increase in obesity rates in the US as seen from 1985 to 2010 to the point where every state has at least a 20% obesity rate has caused it to become a significant focus of public health in recent years.
The percent of people per state who were obese (BMI>30) in 2011: [ 38 ]
> 30%
25% to < 30%
20% to < 25%
15% to < 20%
10% to < 15%
< 10%
No data
Prevalence of obesity between 1960 and 2004 in the USA
According to 2007 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Australia has the third-highest prevalence of overweight adults in the English-speaking world . [ 32 ]