If current trends continue, 51 percent of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035, costing the world $4.32 trillion annually, according to a report released this month by the World Obesity Federation.
The World Obesity Atlas 2023, which is published annually on World Obesity Day (March 4) by the World Obesity Federation, predicts that more than 1.5 billion adults and nearly 400 million children will be obese in 2035, which is one in four people compared to one in seven people today.
When adding in people who are overweight, the number will total 4 billion, according to the organization.
Increases in obesity are rising more rapidly among children (ages five to 19 years old) than adults. Childhood obesity could more than double by 2035 compared to 2020 levels. For boys, rates are predicted to double to 208 million, and for girls, rates are anticipated to increase 125 percent to 175 million.
“This year's Atlas is a clear warning that by failing to address obesity today, we risk serious repercussions in the future,” Prof. Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation, said in the media announcement about the report. “It is particularly worrying to see obesity rates rising fastest among children and adolescents. Governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social and economic costs on to the younger generation. That means looking urgently at the systems and root factors that contribute to obesity and actively involving young people in the solutions. If we act together now, we have the opportunity to help billions of people in the future.”
The expected $4.32 trillion annual cost of obesity would equate to almost 3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and is comparable with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, according to the report.
Every region will see an increase in economic impact by 2035 with the Americas (North, Central and South America) shouldering the highest costs as a proportion of GDP (3.7 percent) and the Western Pacific region facing the highest total costs (US$1.56 trillion), the report predicts.
For North, Central and South America, the rates of obesity for boys will increase from 20 percent (24 million) in 2020 to 33 percent (35 million) in 2035 while for girls it will increase from 16 percent (18 million) in 2020 to 26 percent (27 million) in 2035.
For men in the Americas, the rate of obesity will grow from 32 percent (111 million) in 2020 to 47 percent (187 million) in 2035 while the rate for women will increase from 37 percent (135 million) in 2020 to 49 percent (208 million) in 2035.
The World Obesity Federation presented its report to the United Nations on March 6 and is calling on governments to develop national action plans to battle obesity. In 2020, a panel of global obesity experts developed a framework to help guide governments. The framework calls for:
- recognizing the root causes of obesity
- monitoring obesity data
- investing in obesity prevention
- ensuring access to treatments for obesity
- adopting a systems-based approach to fighting obesity
You can download the free report here.