Half of Humanity to Be Overweight by 2035, World Obesity Federation Warns

More than half of humanity, 51%, will be overweight or clinically obese by 2035 if everything goes on as it is now, a new report published by the World Obesity Federation says.

Most of those affected will be from low- and mid- income African and Asian countries. The top 10 countries in terms of obesity level increase include, among others, Somalia, the Central African Republic, New Guinea, Nigeria, and Niger. Meanwhile, the 10 best-prepared to develop "comprehensive national action plans" are rich nations in Europe, such as Switzerland, the Scandinavian countries, and Iceland. Those at the bottom of the rating are less equipped to deal with the problem.

Global society must take firm and coordinated actions to prevent catastrophe, the researchers insist. The federation's head, Professor Louise Baur, suggests that countries work closer with the World Health Organization and follow its recommendations to use complex tax policy to suppress food production that is high in fat, salt, or sugar, while promoting healthy food instead.

Another way to tackle the issue is to adjust healthy meals in schools, universities, and other budgetary units. World Obesity Federation experts consider this measure necessary because children and adolescents are at risk the most. While the total proportion of overweight people is expected to increase from 38% to 51%, scientists anticipate a twofold increase amongst boys under 18 and as much as 125% among girls. More than 380 million adolescents will be affected by 2035.

The overall estimated economic consequences of this include a drop in work productivity due to obesity, increased strain on the health system, sick leave taken, and early deaths. Obesity may cause many deadly diseases, including increasing the risk of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

If nothing changes, the cost to the world economy could be roughly that of the COVID-19 pandemic - $4.32 trillion, or about 3% of global GDP.