Over two-billion kids and adults worldwide are overweight or outright obese. The new study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine says 30% of the world's population carries excess weight and 10% are technically obese.
The U.S. had the highest percentage of obese kids and young adults at nearly 13%. Egypt had the highest rate of obese adults, but the U.S. had the largest number of obese adults at 79-million.
The study, which examined trends in 73 countries, says obesity has been increasing around the globe since 1980 and has doubled since the beginning of the study. Other interesting stats to note:
- The fastest rise in obesity were in Latin America, Africa and China.
- In China less than 1% of the population was obese in 1980. Now over 5% of the population is obese making it a fivefold rise.
- According to the CDC, the yearly cost of obesity in the USA in 2008 was $147-billion. For an obese person the medical costs are $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
- Obesity rates are highest among those aged between 40 and 59 years.
- Obesity rates are highest among non-Hispanic blacks at 48.1% followed by Hispanics at 42.5%
See the complete study results HERE.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine