The World Health Organization released data on Friday to show the prevalence of obesity in males and females around the world.
And not surprisingly, the United States near the top on the list for being the most obese country in the world.
According to WHO, 35 percent of the U.S. adult population are considered obese. The WHO describes someone with a BMI of 30 or more as obese, while it defines someone with a BMI of 25 to 29 as overweight.
Not far behind the U.S. is Turkey with 29.5 percent, South Africa with 26.8 percent, the United Arab Emirates with 34.5 percent, and Libya with 33.1 percent. Several small island nations like Samoa and Fiji boast higher obesity rates.
Since 1980, the worldwide obesity rate has more than doubled. Meanwhile, an estimated 42 children under the age of 5 were overweight in 2013 around the world, WHO noted. The global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be about 9 percent.
WHO posted a map showing countries’ rates for both women and men.
The report notes, “Obesity has been increasing in all countries. In 2014, 39% of adults aged 18 years and older (38% of men and 40% of women) were overweight. The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly doubled between 1980 and 2014. In 2014, 11% of men and 15% of women worldwide were obese. Thus, more than half a billion adults worldwide are classed as obese.”
The Southeast Asia Region had the lowest obesity rate in the world.
Obesity was blamed by WHO for the deaths of around 3.4 million people per year.
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