Obesity by the Numbers
Obesity is not limited to highly developed, high income nations—middle- and low-income countries are also vulnerable, and indeed have recently been suffering from a rapid rise in their burden from obesity and its myriad consequences. Nothing paints a clearer picture of obesity’s implications than the facts and figures:
2.8 million people worldwide die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.
42 million children younger than 5 years old are overweight or obese.
35 million overweight or obese children under age 5 live in developing countries. In other words, 5 out of 6 of all overweight children live in developing countries.
60 percent is the increase in the number of overweight or obese preschool children since 1990.
60 million children are projected to be overweight or obese by 2020 if the epidemic is not halted.
Data compiled from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.