Number of People with Obesity Worldwide Surpassed One Billion

A global study involving specialists from the Pirogov Moscow Medical University reports that the number of children, teenagers, and adults with obesity has exceeded one billion worldwide.

Researchers Olga Milushkina and Natalia Skoblina from the Department of Hygiene at the Soloviev Institute of Preventive Medicine, Pirogov University, participated in a comprehensive study examining the prevalence and changes in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022 across more than 190 countries.

Over 1,500 experts analyzed weight and height data for more than 220 million individuals aged five and older. The results of this consortium's work were published in the prestigious journal The Lancet.

Key findings include:

- The total number of children, adolescents, and adults living with obesity worldwide has exceeded one billion.

- From 1990 to 2022, global obesity rates increased more than fourfold among girls—from 1.7% to 6.9%—and among boys—from 2.1% to 9.3%. This trend was observed in nearly all countries.

- The proportion of underweight girls decreased from 10.3% in 1990 to 8.2% in 2022, while among boys it decreased from 16.7% to 10.8%. The underweight indicator was identified in 44 countries among girls and 80 countries among boys.

- In 2022, nearly 160 million children and adolescents suffered from obesity—65 million girls and 94 million boys—compared to 31 million in 1990.

- The share of underweight children and adolescents decreased by about one-fifth among girls and more than one-third among boys during this period.

In adults:

- Obesity more than doubled among women—from 8.8% to 18.5%—and nearly tripled among men—from 4.8% to 14.0%—between 1990 and 2022.

- The proportion of adults with underweight halved—from 14.5% to 7% among women and from 13.7% to 6.2% among men.

The study also highlights that the most significant increase in dual burden (obesity combined with undernutrition) occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Currently, obesity rates in these nations are higher than in many high-income, industrialized countries, particularly in Europe.