11 Fattest Countries in The World

The problem of obesity is a modern one, with large sections of the global population becoming overweight late in the 20th century and into the 21st, and the prevalence is especially high in the 11 fattest countries in the world. Changes in lifestyle over the past 100 years, with a majority of citizens now living in cities and enjoying increased affluence has made obesity a global crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared obesity to be a global epidemic in 1997, as the diseases associated with high weight became one of the major causes of death in the world. A person is said to be obese when their body mass index (BMI) (a person’s weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of the height (in meters)) is greater than 30. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight. While being fat by itself is not a disease, chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer find fertile ground in the bodies of fat people.
The problem of being overweight is not only confined to middle and high income countries, but is also affecting lower income countries as well, as evident from our list of the 11 fattest countries in the world. Traditional diets have given way to junk food and sugary drinks, leading to weight issues. The ease of access to junk food from quick service restaurants such as McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has been a key contributing factor to the rise in obesity. As per a Lancet study, the proportion of adults with a body-mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or greater increased from 28.8% in men in 1980 to 36.9% in 2013, and from 29.8% to 38.0% in women during the same period. In 2010, overweight and obesity were estimated to cause 3.4 million deaths. The problem is not only confined to adults. As per WHO, 42 million preschool children were overweight in 2013.
The rise in the problems of obesity has also led to the growth of a giant diabetes treatment industry, as it is the most common disease associated with being overweight, the occurrence of which is highly probable in each of these 11 Countries with the Highest Diabetes Rates in the World. Anti-diabetics is the second-largest segment of the global pharma market, with 2015 sales of over $71 billion. The demand from emerging countries such as China and India is exploding, as millions of diabetes sufferers from these emerging countries look for drugs to treat their obesity issues. Giant healthcare multinational firms with established drugs pipelines are best positioned to benefit from this global epidemic. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) launched Januvia for this market, while Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has positioned Exubera (inhalable insulin) for the diabetes market. These two large pharmaceutical companies are also jointly developing the drug ertugliflozin for use alone and in combination with Merck’s best-selling Januvia. Other multinational drug firms such as Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY), Novo Nordisk A/S (ADR) (NYSE:NVO) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) are also investing heavily in this market.
We have ranked the 11 fattest countries in the world based on WHO data, using the data for the countries with the highest percentage of adults with a BMI greater than 25 (overweight status). The list was dominated by rich Western and Middle Eastern countries, as well as some island nations. Head to the slideshow to see where the U.S and other countries rank in terms of having the most overweight citizens.

11. Malta – 62.3%

An island nation with a big fat problem is the southern European country of Malta. Though Mediterranean countries are considered to have healthy populations because of their often excellent diets, Malta is an exception. A large part of the country’s population is made of Britons, which probably explains the cause of the country’s weight issues.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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10. New Zealand – 62.7%

Next on the list of the fattest countries in the world is New Zealand that is a developed nation which ranks highly in different human development parameters such as education, health, freedom, and quality of life. But like many of the tiny poor nations in the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand suffers from a severe problem of overweight citizens. New Zealand produces a high amount of agricultural food stuff, a large portion of which it exports.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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 9. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 62.9%

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a young country that was born after Yugoslavia was divided into a number of countries. Though the country has achieved high growth in the interim, it has not managed to control its problem of obesity.

8. Kuwait – 64.2%

Similar to its southern neighbor Saudi Arabia, Kuwait has seen an alarming increase in obesity-related health problems. This small oil-rich emirate has seen a prodigious increase in prosperity over the last half-century, with the discovery of massive oil deposits. The country recovered quickly after the Iraqi invasion in 1991 but its population does not look like its recovering quite so quickly from its fat problems. Almost 2/3 of its population suffers from weight issues.

7. Egypt – 66%

Egyptians have a high propensity to eat sweetened foods and the government even subsidizes the cost of sugar. In Egypt, the percentage of fat people in the cities is twice as big as the percentage of fat people in more rural areas. It is the only African country to figure in our list of the fattest countries in the world.

11 Fattest Countries in The World

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 6. Germany – 66.5%

One country that has surprised us in being a part of our fattest countries list is Germany. The most powerful European nation is known for its athletic prowess and austerity in economic matters. However, WHO data shows that more than 2/3 of Germany’s population has a BMI index of more than 25.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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 5. United States of America – 66.9%

The U.S. has become infamous in the global media for being one of the fattest countries in the world. The country has a large number of restaurants serving junk food to people across the length and breadth of the country. Serving giant-sized portions of sugary drinks, fries and burgers, these food joints have contributed heavily to the fat epidemic in the country. While people have started to become more aware of the pernicious effects of eating high calorie foods, a large proportion of the population remains highly obese. Approximately 33.9% of its population comes under the category of obese, which means a BMI index of over 30.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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4. Panama – 67.4%

Another country that has seen a shocking rise when it comes to its status among the fattest countries in the world is Panama. While 67.4% of its population has a BMI index of over 25, a shocking 34.7% of its population has a BMI index of over 30.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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 3. Saudi Arabia – 72.5%

Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the world and also one of the fattest countries in the world, as WHO data clearly shows. Most of the work is performed by a large expatriate population, while the native Saudi population lives on generous subsidies given by the government. It is the only large country in which the percentage of overweight people has crossed the 70% mark. Saudi Arabia’s oil riches have sadly increased the health problems of its population.

2. French Polynesia – 73.7%

French Polynesia is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) in the South Pacific Ocean. The country is ranked second amongst our list of fattest countries. It is believed that the people in these island nations are genetically predisposed towards obesity, while others think that western food practices such as cooking food in oil are responsible for the current predicament of these pacific island nations.

1. Kiribati – 81.5%

The Republic of Kiribati is an island nation located in the central Pacific Ocean. The 2010 census showed that the country, which became independent from the United Kingdom in 1979, has a population of just 103,000 people, 81.5% of whom are overweight. Thus, this tiny territory, which most people do not even recognize, has the dubious distinction of being one of the fattest countries in the world.
11 Fattest Countries in The World

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