Worldwide, obesity¹ among adults has more than doubled since 1990, and has quadrupled among children and adolescents (5 to 19 years of age).  The data also show that 43% of adults were overweight in 2022.

The study also shows that even though the rates of undernutrition have dropped, it is still a public health challenge in many places, particularly in South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean and those in the Middle East and North Africa.

Malnutrition², in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting³, underweight), inadequate⁴ vitamins or minerals, overweight and obesity.  Undernutrition is responsible for half of the deaths of children under 5 and obesity can cause noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes⁵ and some cancers.

Obesity is a complex chronic⁶ disease.