Almost one billion people around the world live with obesity, according the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO defines someone with obesity as having a body mass index equal or greater than 30— a measure it acknowledges is imperfect. Still, with a figure that large, it is no wonder that weight loss drugs have been of very high interest among big pharma, patients, and investors.
These are the 20 countries with the highest rates of obesity among their adult populations, according to the data from the WHO.
The South American country has an adult obesity rate of 38.9%. It has a total population of 18.6 million
Iraq has adult obesity rate of 40.5%, with a total population of 44.5 million.
Saudi Arabia, another middle eastern country has an adult obesity rate of 40.6%. It’s total population is 36 million.
Palau is one of many small islands on this list. It has a total population with 18,000 people with an adult obesity rate of 41%.
Kuwait has an adult obesity rate of 41.4%. The small Middle Eastern country has a total population of 4 million people.
The United States has the largest total population out of all the countries on this list at 333 million. Its also the biggest buyer of weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. It has an adult obesity rate of 42%.
Belize, another Latin American country, has an adult obesity rate 42.3%. It has a total population of 400,00 people
Qatar has an adult obesity rate of 43%. The small Middle Eastern country has a population of 2.6 billion people.
Egypt has the second largest total population out of all the countries on this list at 111 million. About 44% of Egyptian adults are obese.
Saints Kitts and Nevis have an adult obesity rate of 45.6%. The small Caribbean nation is made up of two islands and has a total population of nearly 48,000.
The Marshall Islands have an adult obesity rate of 45.9%. Situated between Hawaii and the Philippines has a total population of 41,000.
Kiribati has an adult obesity rate of 46%. The island on the Pacific ocean has a total population of 131,000.
Micronesia has an adult obesity rate of 47%. It has a total population of 114,000.
About 47% of the adults in the Bahamas is obese. The Caribbean country’s total population 409,000.
Samoa is the first country on the list where over have of its adults are obese. The country’s obesity rate among adults is 62.4%. It has a total population of 222,000.
Tuvalu, another island nation in the Pacific ocean, had an obesity rate of 64.2%. It has a total population 11,000 people
Niue has the smallest population among the countries on the list at 11,000. About 66% of the island’s adult’s are obese.
The Cook Islands has an adult obesity rate of 68.9%. The nation in the Pacific Ocean has a total population of 17,000.
Naura, an island nation in South Pacific, has an adult obesity rate of 69.9%. It has a total population of over 12,000.
Over 71% of the adults on Tonga are obese, the highest rate of any country in the world. The island country in the South Pacific has a total population of 106,000.
