Global obesity trends vary by country, age, and income level – study
Kyiv • UNN
A study of 200 countries has debunked the myth of a single obesity epidemic. Rates are rising in poor nations, while they have stabilized in wealthy Western countries.
Researchers note that the study's results challenge the notion of a single global obesity "epidemic," as they reveal significant differences between countries, age groups, and genders. This was reported by Euronews, according to UNN.
Details
According to a large-scale international study, obesity rates have continued to rise sharply in many low- and middle-income countries over the past four decades, while they have stabilized in most of Western Europe and other wealthy nations.
The work, published in the journal Nature, covers data from 232 million people across 200 countries and territories for the period from 1980 to 2024.
Researchers say this study changes the approach to describing obesity as a single "global epidemic," as such a term "fails to account for the fact that trajectories differ significantly between countries, age groups, and genders."
The study was conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration network, which brings together nearly 2,000 scientists worldwide, using data from over 4,000 population-based studies measuring the height and weight of people aged 5 and older.
Definition of Obesity
The study uses the World Health Organization standard based on Body Mass Index (BMI).
For adults, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher, while a score of 25–29.9 is considered overweight.
For children and adolescents aged 5–19, obesity is defined as a BMI more than two standard deviations above the WHO norm for the corresponding age and gender.
Study Results
In most high-income Western countries—including those in Western Europe, North America, and Australasia—the growth of childhood obesity began to slow as early as the 1990s and had almost stabilized by the mid-2000s. Some countries are even seeing a slight decline.
Denmark was among the first where growth rates slowed—around 1990. By the 2010s, France, Italy, and Portugal were already recording signs of a small but real decline in childhood obesity rates—for the first time at a national level.
For adults, a similar trend appeared with a delay of about a decade.
In Western Europe, the obesity rate among adults in 2024 mostly does not exceed 25%, and in France, it is around 11%. This contrasts significantly with English-speaking high-income countries, where rates range from 25% to 43%.
Situation in Developing Countries
In contrast to wealthy nations, the situation remains different in many low- and middle-income countries: obesity rates continue to rise, and in some regions, they are even accelerating.
In sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands, growth is steady or accelerating.
In 2024, the fastest growth was recorded in 36 countries for girls and 35 for boys. The highest growth rates were observed in Tonga and Samoa among girls, and in Peru among boys.
Particularly high levels of obesity were recorded in Pacific island nations: in Tonga and the Cook Islands, over 65% of the adult population is obese.
At the same time, even in countries where obesity was previously rare, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Bangladesh, rates are now rising.
Causes and Possible Solutions
Researchers note that there is no single cause for the global differences. Trends are influenced by the availability of ultra-processed foods, physical activity levels, population income, and the effectiveness of healthcare systems.
Government policy also plays a role. In particular, sugar taxes are seen as one of the few measures that have shown a modest but measurable effect.
The authors emphasize that obesity control policies must take into account the specifics of each country and support lower-income populations in accessing healthy food and medical services.
It is also noted that weight-loss drugs could become an important tool in the future; however, their high cost currently limits accessibility and could exacerbate inequality.
Overall, the study warns: without strengthening targeted measures, many low- and middle-income countries risk entrenching high levels of obesity for decades to come, with a long-term burden on healthcare systems.