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New reportBy 2035, more than half of the world’s population will be obese
In 2020, 38 percent of all people were already obese. Within twelve years, without significant measures, 51 percent of the world’s population will be affected.
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By 2035, every second person in the world will be severely overweight. This is what the World Obesity Federation predicts in a new report.
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In 2020, 2.6 billion people worldwide, i.e. 38 percent of the world population, were still affected. Obesity rates would rise particularly sharply in children and low-income countries.
Getty Images
By 2035, every second person in the world will be severely overweight. This is what the World Obesity Federation predicts in a new report.
IMAGO/Zoonar
That’s what it’s about
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By 2035, more than half of people will be severely overweight, meaning they will have a BMI greater than 30.
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This is what the World Obesity Federation predicts in a new report.
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Children and low-income countries will be particularly hard hit.
Every second person is obese: The World Obesity Federation predicts this in a new report. By 2035, the number of severely overweight people is expected to rise to over four billion. In 2020, 2.6 billion people worldwide, i.e. 38 percent of the world population, were still affected. Obesity rates would rise particularly sharply in children and low-income countries.
“It’s particularly worrying to see that childhood and adolescent obesity rates are rising the fastest,” said Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation, calling the data a “clear warning,” according to Reuters.
Number of obese children doubles
Policy makers must act now to prevent the situation from deteriorating. “We must prevent the health, social and economic costs from being passed on to the younger generation.”
According to the report, the number of obese children could more than double by 2023. Currently, 208 million boys and 175 million girls are obese worldwide. In addition to children, low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa are also affected. The body mass index (BMI) is used as an evaluation. According to World Health Organization guidelines, a BMI over 25 indicates overweight and over 30 indicates obesity.
Data will be submitted to the UN
The cost to society is significant due to the health problems associated with being overweight. According to the report, healthcare costs will exceed $4 trillion annually by 2035. This corresponds to around three percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).
The data will be presented to United Nations (UN) policymakers and Member States next week.
Germany debates junk food advertising ban
In order to counteract the problem of obesity among children and young people, Germany is currently debating a junk food advertising ban: “I don’t think it’s a good way to make money by ruining children’s health,” says the German Federal Minister for Nutrition and agriculture. According to the minister’s plans, children should no longer see advertising for unhealthy foods.
The plans had led to severe criticism, especially from the advertising and food industries. They fear an almost complete ban on advertising for the affected products.
How to calculate your BMI
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