A major global study has warned that nearly 60% of adults and one-third of children will be overweight or obese by 2050 unless urgent action is taken.
Published in The Lancet, the study analyzed data from 204 countries, describing obesity as one of the biggest health challenges of the century. Lead author Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) called the crisis a “monumental societal failure.”
Rising Obesity Trends
The number of overweight or obese people has surged from 929 million in 1990 to 2.6 billion in 2021. Without intervention, projections indicate 3.8 billion adults—60% of the global adult population—will be overweight or obese by 2050.
Health systems worldwide will face immense strain, as a quarter of the world’s obese population will be aged over 65 by that time. Obesity among children and adolescents is expected to rise by 121%, with one-third of obese youth concentrated in North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Call for Action
Study co-author Jessica Kerr from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute emphasized the need for stronger political commitment to reform global food systems and improve nutrition, physical activity, and urban environments.
Currently, over half of the world’s overweight or obese adults reside in just eight countries:
✅ China
✅ India
✅ United States
✅ Brazil
✅ Russia
✅ Mexico
✅ Indonesia
✅ Egypt
While poor diet and sedentary lifestyles are major contributors, researchers note “unexplained tendencies” toward obesity among socially deprived groups.
The study, based on Global Burden of Disease data and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, urges immediate action to prevent crippling health consequences in the coming decades.
