Report: Obesity Rates by Country – 2017

New research suggests there are about 775 million obese people in the World including adult, children, and adolescents. 

Our research suggests there are nearly 650 million obese adults on the planet, as defined as a body mass index (BMI) over 30. There are also about 125 million obese children and adolescents in the entire world according to a BMI over 30.

The majority of the obesity on the planet resides in a few countries, in fact, the top 10 countries contribute half the entire world’s obesity.

Study Facts:

• World Population: 7,505,257,673
• World Obesity Population : 774,000,000

Top 10 Most Obese Countries (July 1st, 2017)

1. United States of America – 109,342,839
2. China – 97,256,700
3. India – 65,619,826
4. Brazil – 41,857,656
5. Mexico – 36,294,881
6. Russia – 34,701,531
7. Egypt – 28,192,861
8. Turkey – 23,819,781
9. Iran – 21,183,488
10. Nigeria – 20,997,494

Obesity’s Rise in all Countries

Today no one country is immune to obesity. For the past 30 years, obesity has skyrocketed across western countries and small countries. Today in economic rich countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia, there are fewer countries still touched by obesity including Venezuela, Colombia, Egypt, and more.

Highest Regions for Obesity

• Oceania Islands – The highest propensity of obesity can be seen in Oceania nations such as the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru, Palau, Niue, and the Marshall Islands. It should be noted that even though the high rates of obesity, these countries have significantly less population.
• Middle East – The second highest region is the middle east, with as much as 75% of the population being obese or overweight. Countries include Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and Kuwait.
• South America – South America continent is home of highly obese countries in terms of absolute numbers including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile

Research by the World Health Organization suggest there are an additional 124 million children and adolescents worldwide. While just under 1% of children and adolescents aged 5-19 were obese in 1975, more 124 million children and adolescents (6% of girls and 8% of boys) were obese in 2016.

Most Obese Countries by Percentage:

1. Cook Islands – 50.80%
2. Palau- 47.60%
3. Nauru- 45.60%
4. Samoa- 43.40%
5. Tonga- 43.30%
6. Niue- 43.20%
7. Marshall Islands- 42.80%
8. Qatar- 42.30%
9. Kiribati- 40.60%
10. Tuvalu- 40.30%
11. Kuwait- 39.70%
12. United Arab Emirates- 37.20%
13. Federated States of Micronesia – 37.20%
14. Fij i- 36.40%
15. Bahamas – 36.20%
16. Vanuatu- 35.40%
17. Bahrain – 35.10%
18. Saudi Arabia – 34.70%
19. United States of America – 33.70%
20. Libya – 33.10%

Least Obese Countries by Population:

1. Central African Republic – 5.10%
2. India – 4.90%
3. Uganda – 4.90%
4. Somalia – 4.60%
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo – 4.40%
6. Niger – 4.30%
7. Eritrea – 4.10%
8. Ethiopia – 4.00%
9. Rwanda – 4.00%
10. Bangladesh – 3.60%
11. Vietnam – 3.60%
12. Lao People’s Democratic Republic – 3.50%
13. Japan – 3.30%
14. Nepal – 3.30%
15. Cambodia – 3.20%
16. Myanmar – 2.90%
17. Afghanistan – 2.90%
18. Burundi – 2.60%
19. North Korea – 2.40%
20. Timor-Leste – 2.20%

Rank of Countries by Obesity:

1. United States of America – 73,872,022
2. China – 65,706,627
3. India – 44,332,755
4. Brazil – 28,279,032
5. Mexico – 24,520,821
6. Russian Federation – 23,444,354
7. Egypt – 19,047,097
8. Turkey – 16,092,644
9. Iran – 14,311,564
10. Nigeria – 14,185,907
11. United Kingdom – 12,564,150
12. Germany – 11,150,750
13. France – 10,492,144
14. South Africa – 10,269,254
15. Indonesia – 10,166,097
16. Italy – 8,421,745
17. Argentina – 7,866,203
18. Saudi Arabia – 7,721,811
19. Spain – 7,422,124
20. Pakistan – 7,187,615
21. Colombia – 6,961,233
22. Canada – 6,928,126
23. Algeria – 6,922,805
24. Poland – 6,498,610
25. Iraq – 6,154,283

Find out which country has the highest rate of obesity by population or by percentage.