The obesity rate more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents worldwide between 1990 and 2022, according to a new study published Thursday (Feb. 29) in the journal The Lancet.
No overall, an estimated 159 million children and adolescents and nearly 880 million adults were obese in 2022. The World Health Organization classifies obesity in adults as a body mass index of 30 kilograms per square meter or higher, while the criteria for children differ based on age and sex.
Both women and men recorded significant increases in obesity between 1990 and 2022. The study concluded that obesity rates among women rose from 8.8% to 18.5% and from 4.8% to 14.0% among men. Among children, the global obesity rate among girls increased from 1.7% in 1990 to 6.9% in 2022, and among boys it rose from 2.1% to 9.3% during the same period, with increases observed in almost every country.
At the same time, the study found that the total number of adults classified as underweight, defined as BMI below 18.5 kg per square meter, decreased by more than half between 1990 and 2022, falling from 14.5% to 7.0% in women and from 13.7% to 6.2% in men. Children also recorded single-digit reductions.
Low- and middle-income countries recorded some of the largest increases in obesity prevalence, particularly those located in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa. The study found that countries in these regions now have obesity rates that are higher than many wealthy countries.
Although the U.S. is not at the top of the list of countries with the highest obesity prevalence, it recorded significant increases during the study period and has higher rates than some other wealthy nations.
The adult obesity rate in the U.S. increased from 21.2% in 1990 to 43.8% in 2022 for women, and from 16.9% to 41.6% in 2022 for men, according to the study, placing the country 36th in the world among women and 10th among men.
Among children, the study found that the obesity rate in the U.S. increased from 11.6% in 1990 to 19.4% in 2022 for girls and from 11.5% to 21.7% in 2022 for boys. The U.S. ranked 22nd in the world for obesity among girls and 26th among boys in 2022.
Source: U.S. News