It was not that long ago that more of the world’s people had too little to eat than ate too much. What on earth happened?
Now the scales have tipped. A study published on February 29th in the Lancet, a medical journal, shows that more than 1bn people were classified as obese in 2022, the latest year for which data are available.
1bn people were classified as obese in 2022, the latest year for which data are available. The researchers based their findings on the weight and height measurements of more than 220m people from roughly 190 countries.
Obesity is a disorder that involves having too much body fat, usually a body mass index — also known as BMI — of 30 or greater. It increases the risk of serious health problems. Obesity often results from taking in more calories than are burned by exercise and typical daily activities.
Body mass index, also known as BMI, is often used to diagnose obesity. Many health care professionals also measure around a person's waist to help guide treatment decisions. This measurement is called a waist circumference.
Treatments include lifestyle changes, medicines and weight-loss surgery.
The researchers based their findings on the weight and height measurements of more than 220m people from roughly 190 countries.
They found that obesity rates have doubled among adults since 1990 and quadrupled among children and adolescents. Our map below shows which countries have the highest rates.