The figures are presented in two comprehensive studies in the scientific journal Lancet, where researchers have gone through data at the national level. They have looked back in time and then made forecasts for the future.
The proportion of people with overweight or obesity has more than doubled between 1990 and 2012. However, the development differs greatly in the world. The largest proportion of overweight people is found in China, India, the USA, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, and Egypt.
Adults are considered to have overweight if their BMI is between 25 and 30. For obesity, the limit is a BMI over 30.
Overweight becomes obesity
According to the researchers, the proportion of overweight children and young people will stabilize in the coming years, but the proportion with obesity is expected to increase. Globally, more boys between 5 and 14 years old will live with obesity than with overweight by 2050, 16.5 percent compared to 12.9 percent.
The increase in the proportion with obesity and overweight will, according to the study, be largest in North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
But even in high-income countries, the development looks bad. Around 7 percent of men born in 1960 had obesity at the age of 25, among those born in 1990, the proportion with obesity was 16 percent. Of men born in 2015, the prognosis is that 25 percent will have obesity when they are 25 years old.
Burdens the healthcare system
The fact that more people will live with obesity in the future means that more people will be affected by diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various forms of cancer. This will challenge healthcare systems worldwide.
The researchers are calling for clear action plans to reverse the trend and action plans around everything from regulating ultra-processed food and supporting healthy food choices to maternal and child healthcare, adapted to each country's socio-economic conditions.
The studies have been funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
BMI is calculated by dividing body weight by height squared (kg/m2)
Under 18.5: Underweight
18.5-24.9: Normal weight
25-29.9: Overweight
30-39.9: Obesity
>40: Severe obesity
BMI is a rough measure that does not take into account how much of the body weight is muscle and how much is fat, or how the fat is distributed in the body.
Where the fat is located on the body plays a role in how much the risk of disease increases. Having fat around the abdomen, so-called abdominal fat, is linked to significantly greater health risks than if the fat is more evenly distributed on the body.
The BMI measure cannot be used for children. Instead, another measure, ISO-BMI, is used, which takes into account the child's age and growth rate in addition to height and weight.
Source: National Food Agency
