Most Obese Countries 2022

The prevalence of obesity is a major public health problem across the world. There are now 2.1 billion obese individuals in the globe, or around 30 percent of the entire population, according to data collected since 1975. This figure is expected to continue rising.

A person’s quality of life and life expectancy is drastically reduced by obesity, which is one of the top avoidable causes of mortality. Increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even certain forms of cancer are all associated with being overweight or obese.

Osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, renal disease, strokes, and high blood pressure are all possible complications of diabetes. Obese women who are expecting a child are more likely to have issues during pregnancy that might have negative consequences for the unborn kid’s health.

Obesity may serve as a useful barometer for gauging a population’s general health, owing to the many health risks it poses. Obesity rates tend to be lower in the world’s wealthiest nations.

Both the advantages and disadvantages of using BMI

Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a common way to quantify obesity across the globe. Developed in the 1830s, this metric is based on a person’s height and weight. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or over.

It is commonly accepted that BMI is a faulty measurement tool, despite its widespread use. For example, it doesn’t take into account characteristics like body type (male or female), age (male or female), and bone density. The BMI can’t tell the difference between muscle and fat, however.

For athletes, this may lead to wildly erroneous outcomes. Professional wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, who was 6’2″ and weighed 252 lb (114 kg) at his heaviest, had a BMI of 32.4, which classifies him as obese.

These data show that BMI is a poor indicator of whether or not a person is obese. However, because of its widespread usage around the globe, it is the finest indicator presently available for comparing countries to one another.

Waist-to-height ratio, or WHtR, is a newer, but more reliable, method of determining if a person is obese. People are considered obese if their waist circumference exceeds half their height, according to WHtR.

Hence, a healthy weight-for-height ratio (WHtR) is less than or equal to 0, whereas an obese WHtR is more than or equal to 0. (though the cutoff rises to .6 for patients aged 50 and older).

Obesity from country to country

Both the average BMI of its population and the proportion of its citizens that meet the criteria for obesity are often used to quantify national obesity.

These approaches provide comparable but distinct outcomes. The following are some examples of what the World Health Organization’s 2016 data shows:

The 10 countries with the highest rates of obesity in the world in 2016 (based on average BMI):

1. Cook Islands (32.9)
2. Nauru (32.5)
3. Niue (32.4)
4. Samoa (32.2)
5. Tonga (32.2)
6. Tuvalu (30.8)
7. Kiribati (30.1)
8. Saint Lucia (30.0)
9. Micronesia (29.7)
10. Egypt (29.6)

The following are the 10 countries with the highest proportion of obese adults as of 2016:

1. Nauru (61.0%)
2. Cook Islands (55.9%)
3. Palau (55.3%)
4. Marshall Islands (52.9%)
5. Tuvalu (51.6%)
6. Niue (50%)
7. Tonga (48.2%)
8. Samoa (47.3%)
9. Kiribati (46.0%)
10. Micronesia (45.8%)

*See the following table for a comprehensive listing of all countries.

When you think of the richest and most developed nations in the world, it’s simple to believe that they would be the fattest. However, this isn’t necessarily the case.

In terms of wealth, the United States and Britain are two of the world’s wealthiest and most developed nations. Nevertheless, their BMI would position them at 18th and 48th, respectively; their proportion of obese individuals would place them at 123rd and 95th.

In Oceania, it seems that obesity is a particular problem. Foreigners may have taught the natives to fry their food instead of cultivating, prepping, and storing their food, which may have contributed to the problem.

Some other likely causes include genetic predisposition, the growth of fast-food restaurants, which have displaced healthier local cuisine, and the rise of imported food (a scenario mirrored in Kuwait).

Furthermore, the World Health Organization believes that the growing prices of nutritious food and the consequent rise in food shortages in developing countries and LDCs are factors contributing to the obesity epidemic in these countries.

Also See: Lactose Intolerance by Country 2022

The following are the 10 countries with the highest obesity rates:

1. Nauru (61.00%)
2. Cook Islands (55.90%)
3. Palau (55.30%)
4. Marshall Islands (52.90%)
5. Tuvalu (51.60%)
6. Niue (50.00%)
7. Tonga (48.20%)
8. Samoa (47.30%)
9. Kiribati (46.00%)
10. Micronesia (45.80%)