Obesity Rates by Country 2024

When a person's weight is higher than what is considered healthy for their height, their condition is described as overweight or obese. Excess body weight results from several factors, such as poor nutritional choices, overeating, genetics, culture, and metabolism. Obesity is linked to many health complications and diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and stroke. Additionally, obesity is the leading preventable cause of preventable death. Despite the negative effects these conditions can have on one's health, more people are overweight or obese today than ever before in history. In fact, obesity is considered a modern epidemic in most parts of the world. Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, with about 13% of adults being obese and about 39% of adults being overweight today.

BMI explained

The most commonly used method of measuring obesity is the Body Mass Index, or BMI, which divides a person's weight (in kilograms) by their height (in meters) squared. Medically speaking, BMI scores break down as follows:

• BMI under 18.5 = underweight

• BMI 18.5 to <25 = healthy
• BMI 25 to <30 = overweight
• BMI 30 to <35 = obese (class 1)

• BMI 35 to <40 = obese (class 2)
• BMI 40 or higher = obese (class 3 - morbid)

BMI is not a perfect measure. In particular, it can sometimes give a "false positive" score to athletic individuals, whose high BMIs are due not to excess body fat but to excess muscle. For example, extremely fit NFL quarterback Russell Wilson measured 5'11" tall and 215 pounds in 2016, which gave him a BMI of 30.0, or obese. NBA superstar and wellness enthusiast Lebron James had a BMI of 27.5 in 2012, which qualified as overweight—a clear misdiagnosis. As a result of this inaccuracy, many medical experts are switching to waist-to-height ratio, or WHtR, which compares the circumference of a person's waist to their height. If the waist is more than half the height, (or more than 6/10 the height for those over 50), that person is obese. WHtR is considered much more accurate than BMI, but it is also much newer. Over time, as it is adopted by more countries, WHtR could easily replace BMI as the de facto measure of a person's weight health.

Obesity by Country

Obesity rates vary significantly by country as a result of different lifestyles and diets. There is no direct correlation between the obesity rate of a country and its economic status; however, wealthier countries tend to have more resources to implement programs, campaigns, and initiatives to raise awareness and educate people about what they are consuming. These are among the healthiest countries globally. Some regions of the world, such as the South Pacific, have seen alarming increases in obesity rates within the past five years. Some governments, such as that of the United States, have launched campaigns in recent years to promote healthier lifestyles and being active.

The 10 Most Obese Countries in the World

The most obese country by average BMI is the Cook Islands, which has an average BMI of 32.9. Nauru follows with 32.5, then Niue with 32.4. Samoa and Tonga both have average BMIs of 32.2. Finishing the top ten most obese countries are Tuvalu (30.8), Kiribati (30.1), Saint Lucia (30.0), Micronesia (29.7), and Egypt (29.6). What eight of these countries have in common is being located in the South Pacific.

When looking at the percentage of obese adults, the list looks a little different. The most obese country by percentage of obese adults is American Samoa, with 80.2% of adults falling in the obese category. Tonga follows with 77.1%, and Wallis and Futuna at 70.4%. Six other countries have adult populations that are over 50% obese: the Cook Islands (69.8%), Tokelau (63.4%), Tuvalu (50%), Niue (61%), Nauru (58.1%), and Kiribati (56.7%). The 10th most obese country is the Caribbean country Saint Kitts and Nevis at 45% of its population being obese.

The Pacific island nations dominate these two lists, with Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Egypt appearing as the only non-Oceania countries on either list. Type 2 diabetes is a large concern among the people of many of these countries. Multiple theories exist as to why this particular region is so susceptible to obesity, including the growth of unhealthy fast food, the rise of frying as a means of food preparation, and a possible genetic predisposition toward higher BMIs.

The United States has the 18th highest obesity rate in the world at 42.7%. Obesity rates vary significantly among states](/state-rankings/obesity-rate-by-state), ranging from 24.7% to 40.6%. This is due to the same dietary, environmental, and cultural factors that cause variations among countries. Diet is primarily to blame, with Americans receiving mixed messages about what they should be eating and how much. Faced with mouth-watering advertisements served alongside campaigns promoting daily physical activity and proper nutrition, many Americans opt for fast, cheap, and filling options such as processed packaged food, fast food, and larger portions. This often leads to a diet rich in fat, calories, and sodium (the "butter, sugar, salt" trifecta) and low in vitamins and nutrients.

Top 10 Least Obese Countries in the World

When looking at average BMI, the three least obese countries are Eritrea (20.6), Ethiopia (20.7), and Madagascar (21.3). Seven other countries have average BMIs under 22: Timor-Leste (21.3), Bangladesh and Burundi tying at 21.7, India and Niger tying at 21.8, and Vietnam and Chad tying at 21.9, finishing the list. Many of the other countries on this list struggle with famine and poverty—which is the wrong way to achieve a low BMI.