In this piece, we will take a look at 25 countries with the highest rates of obesity. If you want to skip our analysis of how obesity affects productivity and some drugs that are quite promising, then take a look at 5 Countries With Highest Rates of Obesity.
Obesity is a disease that can significantly affect one's quality of life. Obese people find it difficult to not only maintain optimal health, but depending on the level of their disease, they can often find it difficult to carry out normal daily tasks such as walking, driving, or finding the right sized clothes. To make matters worse, being obese also exposes one to new and far deadlier diseases as well such as diabetes. In fact, research shows that obesity might very well be the new hypertension when the market for its treatment drugs is considered. Analysts believe that by 2030 end, global sales of obesity treatments could sit at $54 billion, fueled particularly by the fact that more people will consult doctors to find their way out of being obese, which in turn is expected to lead to more prescriptions.
To add to this, being obese often results in a higher percentage of deaths than being underweight would cause. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 8% of total deaths in the world in 2017 were caused by obesity. Within this dataset, the worst affected countries were Fiji, Bahrain, and American Samoa where a stunning 29.3%,25.69%, and 23.53% of deaths were caused by obesity. The disease, which is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, has been growing over the years, with data showing that 39% of the global population was at risk of being obese in 2016.
Not only are these people at risk of being the target of serious diseases, but their disease also ends up having a significant economic impact. Estimates from the charity World Obesity Federation show that the economic impact of being either obese or overweight can cross $4 trillion by 2023 - making it even more important that the right strategies and tools are developed to combat this phenomenon.
To make matters worse, obesity isn't limited only to adults. Projections show that by 2035, the number of boys with obesity could double and the number of girls with obesity could increase by 125%. Numerically, this means that the 100 million obese boys in 2020 can double to 200 million by 2035, with the number of girls sitting at 175 million. These worrying predictions are made more complicated by the fact that most of this growth is expected to come from low income countries where treatment options are either limited or out of reach for most people.
At the same time, recent years have led to positive developments that can help obese people lose weight. A variety of new drugs are under development and available on the market to help with weight loss, and some of these have already started to yield results. Some of the more popular treatments for obesity are drugs made by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO). Nordisk's Wegovy has proved to be quite popular, especially among celebrities. However, the cost of using Wegovy is quite high, and the latest research on usage costs and patterns conducted by Prime Therapeutics shares some details. It outlines that the annual costs of using Wegovy sit at $12,371 and the annual cost jumps to $19,657. It also reveals that two thirds of people who start using Wegovy stop using the drug within a year, and some reasons that are speculated for this include people finding the side effects or the costs too much to bear.
But how do these drugs work? Another variant of Wegovy is Ozempic and the two differ in the amount of semaglutide present in them and Wegovy being marketed exclusively for weight loss. According to people who've used these drugs, both Wegoy and Ozempic just make the food cravings go away - apart from also presenting the usual side effects of nausea and constipation. These cravings surround what is dubbed as 'food noise' where people cannot stop thinking about what they're going to eat next. The drugs are variants of diabetes medications, and you can find out more details by checking out 30 Countries with the Highest Diabetes Per Capita.
With these details in mind, let's take a look at countries with the highest rates of obesity.
To compile our list of countries with the highest rate of obesity, we first used data from the World Health Organization (WHO) that lists down the percentage of a country's population with a BMI greater than 30. Then, the corresponding number of people that are obese per 100 thousand was calculated and the final list of the most obese countries in the world is as follows.
25 Countries With Highest Rates of Obesity
25. Kingdom of Bahrain
Obese People Per 100,000: 29,800
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Western Asian nation with a GDP per capita of $29,103. Like other countries in the region, it is heavily dependent on natural resources and oil to fuel economic growth.
24. Republic of Fiji
Obese People Per 100,000: 30,200
The Republic of Fiji is an island country in the Pacific Ocean which is also one of the smallest countries in the world. Close to a million people live in Fiji, and it has a relatively high obesity rate.
23. Republic of Iraq
Obese People Per 100,000: 30,400
The Republic of Iraq is a Western Asian nation with a population of 43.5 million. It is one of the largest producers of oil in the world, and causes of obesity in the country include high rates of carbonated beverage consumption.
22. New Zealand
Obese People Per 100,000: 30,800
New Zealand is a high income island nation with a GDP per capita of $47,278. While 30.8% of New Zealanders are obese, the average BMI reading for men and women sits below 30.
21. Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Obese People Per 100,000: 31,600
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is a West Indian country with a population of roughly 400 thousand. It is a key player in the global cruise and cargo shipping industries, and the offshore financial sector also plays a crucial role in the economy.
20. United Arab Emirates
Obese People Per 100,000: 31,700
The UAE is a Middle Eastern nation that has rapidly moved up the ladder of global riches in just a handful of decades. It earns foreign exchange primarily through petroleum but has a developed economy of service sectors as well.
19. Arab Republic of Egypt
Obese People Per 100,000: 32,000
Egypt is one of the oldest countries in the world. It has a population of 109 million people, which also makes it one of the most populous nations in the world. The average BMI for Egyptians lingers on obesity, as it sits at 29.2.
18. Republic of Lebanon
Obese People Per 100,000: 32,000
Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country with one of the smallest economies in the region at $19 billion. It has experienced devastating economic crises of late and has a GDP per capita of roughly $2,000.
17. Republic of Türkiye
Obese People Per 100,000: 32,100
Turkey is a European and Asian nation with a vibrant economy made up of industrial and high technology sectors. It is also Europe's most obese country.
16. State of Libya
Obese People Per 100,000: 32,5oo
Libya is a relatively well off African nation due to vast oil resources and a small population that leads to high levels of housing and educational security programs.
15. State of Qatar
Obese People Per 100,000: 35,100
Qatar is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. It has a GDP per capita of $82,877 and relies primarily on tourism and oil exports to fuel its economy.
14. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Obese People Per 100,000: 35,400
Saudi Arabia is an oil rich nation. It is the largest oil exporter in the world and has an economy that is worth $1 trillion.
13. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Obese People Per 100,000: 35,500
Jordan is one of the most historic countries in the world, with dozens of landmarks and evidence of ancient civilization. These days it has a population of 11 million.
12. United States of America
Obese People Per 100,000: 38,200
Americans consume more than two hundred liters of sugary beverages each year. The U.S. is also the most obese developed country in the world, and some states have obesity rates in excess of 70%.
11. State of Kuwait
Obese People Per 100,000: 37,900
Kuwait is another prosperous Middle Eastern nation. It has a $183 billion economy and a GDP per capita of $38,123.
10. Federated States of Micronesia
Obese People Per 100,000: 45,800
Micronesia is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of area and population. Nearly half of its population is obese, and agriculture is the dominant sector in the economy.
9. Republic of Kiribati
Obese People Per 100,000: 46,000
Kiribati is another island country with a small $248 million economy. The country benefits from international assistance and has a GDP per capita of $1,989.
8. Independent State of Samoa
Obese People Per 100,000: 47,300
Samoa is an island nation with a relatively diversified economy based on some manufactured goods, agricultural products, and petroleum exports.
7. Kingdom of Tonga
Obese People Per 100,000: 48,200
Tonga is an island country made of close to two hundred islands. Its economy relies mostly on the agricultural sector to earn foreign exchange.
6. Niue
Obese People Per 100,000: 50,000
Niue has just a hundred thousand people living in it, so safe to say, roughly half of its population is obese.
