The world is expanding, but unfortunately it's not the global economy whose waistline needs to go up a size.
The rate of worldwide obesity has been marching higher at an extraordinary rate for more than three decades now. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, known as the OECD, fewer than one in 10 people were considered obese in 1980. As of 2011, 19 of the 34 OECD countries have a majority of their population that's either overweight (defined as a body mass index above 25) or obese (a BMI of more than 30).
A growing problem
The reason for higher obesity rates is pretty simple among the world's economic powerhouses: living conditions, education, and incomes have been improving. Certainly the diverse eating habits of different cultures has some bearing on this as well, but the trend has been unmistakably higher across all OECD countries.
The reason for higher obesity rates is pretty simple among the world's economic powerhouses: living conditions, education, and incomes have been improving. Certainly the diverse eating habits of different cultures has some bearing on this as well, but the trend has been unmistakably higher across all OECD countries.
As of the OECD's most recent data available, here are the nine most obese countries in the world:
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