In 2022, about 890 million adults lived with obesity, out of about 2.5 billion defined as overweight. The data indicate a sharp increase: obesity rates in the world have almost doubled since 1990, and among children and teenagers it is a fourfold increase or more.
The indicators of obesity are based on body mass index (BMI) weight in relation to height, when obesity is defined in adults as a BMI of 30 or higher, morbid obesity is 35 or higher. Overweight is defined as a BMI of over 25. The sources include representative surveys of populations in many countries, which include direct measurements of height and weight, as well as databases and statistical analyzes of the NCD-RisC research group, which compiles studies from 1980 onwards and includes millions of participants. The data are adjusted for age and gender to enable comparison between countries where the population differs in terms of structure and age.
The disparities between the countries are extreme: while in the island countries in the Pacific Ocean over two thirds of the adult population suffer from obesity, in East Asia the obesity rate is very low – less than ten percent only.
Obesity is not just an aesthetic issue, it is a major risk factor for many diseases: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, some types of cancer, joint problems and sleep apnea. The World Health Organization defines obesity as one of the main causes of premature mortality and disability in the world.
The causes of this phenomenon are diverse: an increase in the consumption of processed food high in fat and sugar, a dramatic decrease in physical activity, increased use of the car, many hours of sitting and a change in dietary habits following an urban lifestyle. The result is a huge burden on the health systems, an increase in public expenditures and a sharp increase in associated diseases at a young age.
Among the developed countries, Japan and South Korea manage to maintain one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. In these cultures it is customary to eat small portions, low in saturated fat and high in vegetables, fish and rice. The use of public transportation, the daily walk and the public policy that encourages an active lifestyle help to maintain a healthy weight.
In these countries, there is also a consistent policy of nutrition education in schools, regulation on the advertising of harmful food and restrictions on the sale of high-calorie food to children. Their experience proves that a combination of traditional nutrition culture and effective public health policy may curb long-term obesity trends.
In the United States, one of the countries with the highest obesity rate in the world, there has been a slight decrease in the obesity rate in recent years. One of the main reasons for this is the growing use of drugs from the GLP-1 family including semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and newer drugs. These drugs cause a feeling of satiety, slow down the rate of food digestion and gradual weight loss, and have become a widespread phenomenon among millions of Americans.
According to surveys conducted in 2025, this is the first drop in years in the obesity rate in the United States – a direct result of the so-called “revolution of slimming injections”. However, the researchers caution against over-reliance on medication instead of long-term lifestyle changes.
In Israel, the rate of obesity among adults is estimated at 24 percent, a figure that places it around the average of the OECD countries. The overall overweight rate is much higher, and the socio-economic disparities are evident: in low-income areas the rates are significantly higher.
The Israeli health system invests in health education programs, nutritional labeling on products and projects to encourage physical activity, but the challenge remains complex. The availability of processed food, the pressure of time and prolonged sitting at the workplace make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The countries that have succeeded in reducing obesity rates prove that the solution requires urban planning that encourages walking, nutritional education from a young age, accessibility to physical activity and promoting healthy food over processed food.