While the USA currently ranks first in obesity prevalence levels (36.5% in 2011–2014) [3], Europe is in second place globally, with an average prevalence of 15.9% across EU member states in 2014 [4].
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the most obese countries are primarily located in the Pacific and the Middle East. The Pacific island nations of Nauru, Cook Islands, and Palau have the highest rates of obesity, with over 30% of their populations being classified as obese.
The nations with the highest obesity rates tend to cluster in the South Pacific, with Kiribati and Tonga leading the world in projected 2035 obesity rates at 67%, followed by Samoa at 66%, French Polynesia at 65%, and Micronesia at 64%. The U.S. registers near the top, with a rate of 58%.
According to the report, 50.7% of Chinese adults are overweight, including those who are obese. In a country of 1.4 billion, that amounts to more than half a billion people – more than the entire US population. That's a sharp increase over the past two decades.
This is a rise from 10th place since the research was carried out two years ago, when UK obesity rates stood at 24.9 per cent. The new report shows the US still tops the obesity league tables, with rates of 38.2 per cent, followed by Mexico at 33.3 per cent.
Obesity in China is a major health concern according to the WHO, with overall rates of obesity between 5% and 6% for the country, but greater than 20% in some cities where fast food is popular.
Lack of exercise is also a major culprit in the obesity epidemic. It's been decades since most Americans worked in fields and on factory floors, a far greater majority of us are sitting throughout our workday. This means less exercise each day.
The rapid economic growth in China has been accompanied by alarming rise in obesity. Recent National survey data suggest that more than half of Chinese adults are now living with overweight and obesity, with obesity rates likely to increase.
Abstract. Obesity has become a serious public health problem globally. China has the world's largest number of people with obesity or overweight. More than 50% of adults and about 20% of children and adolescents in China are overweight or obese.
For Asians, the WHO Asian BMI categories standard are as follows: 18.5–22.9 kg/m2 (normal weight), 23–27.5 kg/m2 (overweight) and ≥27.5 kg/m2 (obese).
Japan's success in avoiding the obesity problem faced by most of the western world is down to three main factors: an appreciation of good food from cradle to grave, a lifestyle that encourages incidental exercise, and a large dollop of paternalism.
The findings mean Australia is the world's most overweight nation, ahead of the notoriously super-sized Americans, who have a 25 per cent obesity rate.
Preventable conditions kill many people in the United States
You may be surprised to learn that the United States is considered by many to be the unhealthiest country in the world. The U.S. has very high rates of death from heart disease and cancer. It also has one of the highest rates of stroke deaths.
Prevalence of Overweight and Health Problems
We found that 10.5% of the men and 14.5% of the women in the US are obese; in contrast, obesity is almost nonexistent among older persons in Japan: only 0.9% of Japanese men and 2.3% of Japanese women are obese.
Mexico passed the United States as the most obese country in the world. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is 16.7% in preschool children, 26.2% in school children, and 30.9% in adolescents.
Over half of adults in China, or more than half a billion people, are now overweight, an official report has found. The figures have risen significantly since 2002, when 29% of adults were overweight. The country's rapid economic growth in recent decades has led to major changes to lifestyle, diet and exercise habits.
According to this data, the percent of obese adults in Korea was 34.6 percent in 2018, far higher than the 5.9 percent reported by the OECD for Korea. The Korean agency put the percentage of obese adults here at 37.1 percent in 2021.
In China, one out of every five children is overweight or obese, up from just one in 20 in 1995, and the nation's booming economy might be driving the increase, according to a new study.
After reviewing data from more than 2.8 million Americans, including 71,000 Asian Americans, researchers found that 11% of Asian Americans are obese, based on standard body mass index (BMI) calculations.
Now China is fighting obesity, especially childhood obesity, just like the rest of the world. According to the latest statistics from China, the proportion of obesity among children under the age of 15 increased from 15% in 1982 to 27% today.
Findings. Diabetes prevalence in Chinese adults aged 20–79 years was projected to increase from 8.2% to 9.7% during 2020–2030. During the same period, the total costs of diabetes would increase from $250.2 billion to $460.4 billion, corresponding to an annual growth rate of 6.32%.
The first and possibly most important reason why Americans are fatter than our fellow Europeans simply lies in our nutrition choices. Most of our meals contain little to no vegetables and fruits and those that do, usually include some kind of potatoes or tomatoes.
Europeans are very aware of how much they consume in a day and practice portion control very well which translates to staying slim. Also, unlike in the states, European transportation requires a lot of walking and movement so their overall activity level is much higher.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average American diet consists of excess salt, saturated fat, refined grains, calories from solid fats and added sugars. Americans also eat fewer vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products and oils than recommended.