Obesity Atlas 2024

Obesity and its consequences

• Global, regional and national estimates of the contribution of obesity to leading non-communicable diseases in adults

• Global, regional and national predictions of the effects of obesity on children’s higher risk of non-communicable diseases

• 186 national scorecards for child and adult obesity and its consequences

World Obesity Day 2024 sees the publication of the sixth World Obesity Atlas. Each Atlas has reported estimates for national obesity prevalence levels and trends, and each has also focused on a theme: these include the rise in childhood obesity, the likelihood of meeting global targets, the impact of obesity on COVID-19 risk, and the economic impact of overweight and obesity.

This year the theme is “Obesity and...” the diseases it drives, with specific focus on obesity as a preventable cause of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We look at major NCDs (type II diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, and cancer) and the proportions of these diseases that are attributable to high body mass index (overweight and obesity) in adulthood. To further illustrate obesity’s role in wider NCD challenges that are occurring at ever-younger ages, we also provide estimates of the numbers of children with the early signs of NCDs (hyperglycaemia, high blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol), and the proportion of these attributable to high body mass index. We also estimate the numbers of children who might be spared from developing these conditions if they were not experiencing excess body weight.

 

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