WHO: Global obesity rates doubled since 1990

WHO warned global obesity rates more than doubled since 1990, with adult obesity rates doubling and child/adolescent obesity quadrupling since 1990.

In 2022, 2.5 billion adults (43%) were overweight, including 890 million living with obesity, and over 390 million children aged 5–19 (20%) were overweight.

million children under 5 were overweight in 2024, per WHO.

WHO classifies obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, not a lifestyle choice, driven by genetics, food systems, urbanization, and economic factors.

Higher-than-optimal BMI caused an estimated 3.7 million deaths in 2021 from noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, cancers, and respiratory illnesses.