No, the U.S. is not in first place. The number of obese people in the world has doubled over the past two decades, largely due to developing countries. A model figure is not a guarantee of health, but excess fat leads to dire consequences: problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and a general deterioration in quality of life. 2.8 million people die each year from obesity problems.
There are countries that are particularly notable for their overweight problems. Thanks to the media we think the fattest country is the U.S., but Americans are only in 10th place.
10. USA 31.8%
Hardly surprising that the home of McDonald's and Coca-Cola is on this list. America is notorious for its unhealthy diets and huge numbers. We've seen shocking movies like "Double Foods" that show how much junk food Americans eat. And it seems that after such huge portions of fast food, 10th place is not so bad. The problem is that the U.S. has the highest standard of living of any country on this list, which means that despite budgets, the public health system is failing.
9. Mexico 32.8%
The next country is not only nearby on the list, but also geographically. The fact is that convenience foods and sugary foods have recently appeared in this country, and the novelty of these products has led to a dramatic increase in overweight. Until the 1980s, Mexicans' diets consisted mostly of fresh and natural foods, and now Mexico is the biggest consumer of Coca-Cola. Fighting this habit, the government even imposed a tax on soda. But it's too early to talk about the results of such a measure.
8. Qatar 33.1%
Qatar is known as the richest country in the world. But this wealth has a downside. Having become very rich from natural resources, the inhabitants of the country switched to unhealthy Western-style food. Fast-food restaurants have opened everywhere, and the country's modernization has led to a sedentary lifestyle. Wealth has played havoc with Qatar and the country is not only one of the richest but also one of the fattest countries in the world.
7. South Africa 33.5%
Most people used to associate Africa with hunger, but now a third of South Africans are obese. Surprisingly, the percentage of people who are obese is increasing in developing countries. This is because they are trying to solve the problem of hunger with processed foods, which give people energy, but do not contain useful elements. In the last decade, the percentage of people in South Africa who are obese has quadrupled.
6. Arab Emirates 33.7%
The reason for the dramatic increase in overweight people in the Arab Emirates is similar to Qatar. The rapid growth of the economy due to the development of the oil industry in recent decades has led to the proliferation of fast food chains and increased consumption of unhealthy foods. Obesity rates in this country are twice the world average. 17% of the country's population has diabetes, though, if researchers are to be believed, a couple of decades ago no one had heard of the disease.
5. Jordan 34.3%
The situation in Jordan is similar to that already described above, but here there are twice as many fat women as men. Researchers put this down to early marriage. The earlier a woman gets married, the sooner she will begin to lead a sedentary lifestyle. In Jordan, there is a correlation between age at marriage and the amount of excess fat. There is an opinion that obesity is caused by tradition: being overweight is a sign of wealth among Arabs.
4. Egypt 34.6%
Another Arab country on this list. The growth of industrialization has also resulted in an increase in health problems due to the consumption of unhealthy foods. The number of obese people in the cities is twice as high as in the countryside. In addition to obesity, Egypt has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world (17%). Also here 32% of children are obese, so Egypt is the fattest country in Africa.
3. Belize 34.9%
Located in Central America, Belize has never before bothered its government with overweight problems. Researchers have been talking about problems in Egypt for decades, but Belize broke into the list, much to the dismay of the Ministry of Health. In addition to Mexico and Belize, other Latin American countries are also on the verge of making the list: Venezuela, Argentina, Chile.
2. Saudi Arabia 35.2%
The largest country in the Arabian Peninsula has 35% of obese people in the region. The country's biggest problem is that obesity-related problems are not included in insurance and people are forced to spend large sums on treatment. This of course does not improve the obesity situation, but rather the opposite. Just 10 years ago Saudi Arabia was not in the top 30 countries for obesity and in the last decade the number of diabetics has increased by 30%.
1.Kuwait, 42.8%.
This small country has quickly become the world's fattest country with 43% of people overweight. There are three times more fat people here than the world average. They say it has to do with a love of fast food. But that's not all Kuwaitis have learned from Western civilization. Along with fast food came the fashion for gastric resection (removal of part of an organ) and the country now ranks first in the number of such operations. For 3.5 million people a year, 5,000 gastric stapling operations are performed.
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