Obesity to Affect 213 Million People by 2022, with the US Continuing to Lead, Brazil to Follow

Wednesday 11 September 2013, Amsterdam

The rising prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity, combined with high-calorie diets, will boost the number of overweight and obesity cases in nine major markets to over 480 million by 2022, putting significant pressure on health services, says research and a consulting firm.

According to the company’s new report, the number of people affected by obesity in the nine major markets (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, Brazil and Canada) will increase from 167 million in 2012 to 213 million in 2022. The number of prevalent cases of those classed as overweight in those countries will also grow significantly, from 250 million in 2012 to approximately 272 million in 2022.

The US will continue to hold the highest population of those with such conditions, with 81 million people estimated to be overweight and 113 million obese by 2022. This will be followed by Brazil, with 64 million cases of being overweight and 26 million obese people by 2022.

It is estimated that 2.8 million people in the world die each year due to obesity and its associated conditions.

This report also shows that in the US obesity is more prevalent in women than men, affecting non-Hispanic black women the most, followed by those of Mexican-American origin. Furthermore, people who reported having an obese family member were almost four times more likely to develop the condition. Besides the genetic component, other factors such as a shared environment and similar diet habits among family members may also contribute to the risk of obesity.

Alison Carpenter, MPH,  Analyst covering Epidemiology, says: “The main drivers of the substantial growth in overweight and obesity cases across the nine major markets is due both to an increased adoption of a westernized lifestyle and a high prevalence of obesity risk factors. Unfortunately, it will be difficult for public health organizations and policymakers to aim effective control measures at these populations to contain this growing epidemic.”

This report provides an overview of the risk factors, comorbidities, and global trends of overweight and obesity in the 9MM (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, Brazil, and Canada). It includes a 10-year epidemiology forecast of the prevalent cases of overweight, obesity, obesity class I, obesity class II, and obesity class III segmented by sex and age. In addition, the report includes a 10-year forecast of the prevalent cases of obesity-associated comorbidities, including diagnosed diabetes, diagnosed hypertension, and dyslipidemia, among adults with overweight/obesity in some of these markets.