The island country of Nauru is the most obese in the world with obesity affecting 61.0% of the adult population, according to the most recent data available from the World Health Organization (WHO) as of Mar. 26, 2020. Vietnam is the least obese country with 2.1% of the population classified as obese. Among OECD countries, the United States is the most obese (36.2%).
According to WHO, more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide were overweight, including 650 million who were obese, in 2016. The prevalence of obesity tripled worldwide between 1975 and 2016.
| Global Rank | Country | % of Adult Population That Is Obese |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nauru | 61.0% |
| 2 | Cook Islands | 55.9% |
| 3 | Palau | 55.3% |
| 4 | Marshall Islands | 52.9% |
| 5 | Tuvalu | 51.6% |
| 6 | Niue | 50.0% |
| 7 | Tonga | 48.2% |
| 8 | Samoa | 47.3% |
| 9 | Kiribati | 46.0% |
| 10 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | 45.8% |
| 11 | Kuwait | 37.9% |
| 12 | United States of America | 36.2% |
| 13 | Jordan | 35.5% |
| 14 | Saudi Arabia | 35.4% |
| 15 | Qatar | 35.1% |
| 16 | Libya | 32.5% |
| 17 | Turkey | 32.1% |
| 18 | Egypt | 32.0% |
| 18 | Lebanon | 33.7% |
| 20 | United Arab Emirates | 31.7% |
| 21 | Bahamas | 31.6% |
| 22 | New Zealand | 30.8% |
| 23 | Iraq | 30.4% |
| 24 | Fiji | 30.2% |
| 25 | Bahrain | 29.8% |
| 26 | Canada | 29.4% |
| 27 | Australia | 29.0% |
| 28 | Malta | 28.9% |
| 28 | Mexico | 28.9% |
| 30 | Argentina | 28.3% |
| 30 | South Africa | 28.3% |
| 32 | Chile | 28.0% |
| 33 | Dominica | 27.9% |
| 33 | Uruguay | 27.9% |
| 33 | Syrian Arab Republic | 27.8% |
| 33 | United Kingdom | 27.8% |
| 37 | Dominican Republic | 27.6% |
| 38 | Algeria | 27.4% |
| 39 | Oman | 27.0% |
| 40 | Tunisia | 26.9% |
| 41 | Hungary | 26.4% |
| 41 | Suriname | 26.4% |
| 43 | Lithuania | 26.3% |
| 44 | Israel | 26.1% |
| 44 | Morocco | 26.1% |
| 46 | Czechia | 26.0% |
| 47 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 25.8% |
| 48 | Costa Rica | 25.7% |
| 49 | Andorra | 25.6% |
| 49 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 25.6% |
| 51 | Ireland | 25.3% |
| 52 | Vanatu | 25.2% |
| 53 | Bulgaria | 25.0% |
| 54 | Greece | 24.9% |
| 55 | Jamaica | 24.7% |
| 56 | Cuba | 24.6% |
| 56 | El Salvador | 24.6% |
| 58 | Belarus | 24.5% |
| 59 | Croatia | 24.4% |
| 60 | Belize | 24.1% |
| 61 | Ukraine | 24.1% |
| 62 | Spain | 23.8% |
| 63 | Nicaragua | 23.7% |
| 63 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 24.1% |
| 65 | Latvia | 23.6% |
| 66 | Montenegro | 23.3% |
| 67 | Barbados | 23.1% |
| 67 | Norway | 23.1% |
| 67 | Poland | 23.1% |
| 67 | Russian Federation | 23.1% |
| 71 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 22.9% |
| 72 | Haiti | 22.7% |
| 72 | Panama | 22.7% |
| 74 | Luxembourg | 22.6% |
| 75 | Romania | 22.5% |
| 75 | Solomon Islands | 22.5% |
| 77 | The former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia | 22.4% |
| 78 | Colombia | 22.3% |
| 78 | Germany | 22.3% |
| 80 | Finland | 22.2% |
| 81 | Belgium | 22.1% |
| 81 | Brazil | 22.1% |
| 83 | Iceland | 21.9% |
| 84 | Cyprus | 21.8% |
| 85 | Albania | 21.7% |
| 85 | Georgia | 21.7% |
| 87 | France | 21.6% |
| 88 | Serbia | 21.5% |
| 89 | Honduras | 21.4% |
| 90 | Grenada | 21.3% |
| 90 | Papua New Guinea | 21.3% |
| 92 | Estonia | 21.2% |
| 92 | Guatemala | 21.2% |
| 94 | Kazakhstan | 21.0% |
| 95 | Portugal | 20.8% |
| 96 | Mongolia | 20.6% |
| 96 | Sweden | 20.6% |
| 98 | Slovakia | 20.5% |
| 99 | Netherlands | 20.4% |
| 100 | Paraguay | 20.3% |
| 101 | Armenia | 20.2% |
| 101 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 20.2% |
| 101 | Guyana | 20.2% |
| 101 | Slovenia | 20.2% |
| 105 | Austria | 20.1% |
| 106 | Azerbaijan | 19.9% |
| 106 | Ecuador | 19.9% |
| 106 | Italy | 19.9% |
| 109 | Denmark | 19.7% |
| 109 | Peru | 19.7% |
| 109 | Saint Lucia | 19.7% |
| 112 | Switzerland | 19.5% |
| 113 | Antigua and Barbuda | 18.9% |
| 113 | Botswana | 18.9% |
| 113 | Republic of Moldova | 18.9% |
| 116 | Trinidad and Tobago | 18.6% |
| 116 | Turkmenistan | 18.6% |
| 118 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 17.9% |
| 119 | Namibia | 17.2% |
| 120 | Yemen | 17.1% |
| 121 | Kyrgyzstan | 16.6% |
| 121 | Lesotho | 16.6% |
| 121 | Uzbekistan | 16.6% |
| 124 | Swaziland | 16.5% |
| 125 | Malaysia | 15.6% |
| 126 | Zimbabwe | 15.5% |
| 127 | Gabon | 15.0% |
| 128 | Tajikistan | 14.2% |
| 129 | Brunei Darussalam | 14.1% |
| 130 | Seychelles | 14.0% |
| 131 | Djibouti | 13.5% |
| 132 | Mauritania | 12.7% |
| 133 | Sao Tome and Principe | 12.4% |
| 134 | Cabo Verde | 11.8% |
| 135 | Cameroon | 11.4% |
| 136 | Ghana | 10.9% |
| 137 | Mauritius | 10.8% |
| 138 | Côte d’Ivoire | 10.3% |
| 138 | Gambia | 10.3% |
| 140 | Thailand | 10.0% |
| 141 | Liberia | 9.9% |
| 142 | Benin | 9.6% |
| 142 | Congo | 9.6% |
| 144 | Guinea-Bissau | 9.5% |
| 145 | Nigeria | 8.9% |
| 146 | Senegal | 8.8% |
| 147 | Sierra Leone | 8.7% |
| 148 | Maldives | 8.6% |
| 148 | Mali | 8.6% |
| 148 | Pakistan | 8.6% |
| 148 | Sudan (former) | 8.6% |
| 152 | Togo | 8.4% |
| 152 | United Republic of Tanzania | 8.4% |
| 154 | Somalia | 8.3% |
| 155 | Angola | 8.2% |
| 156 | Zambia | 8.1% |
| 157 | Equatorial Guinea | 8.0% |
| 158 | Comoros | 7.8% |
| 159 | Guinea | 7.7% |
| 160 | Central African Republic | 7.5% |
| 161 | Mozambique | 7.2% |
| 162 | Kenya | 7.1% |
| 163 | Indonesia | 6.9% |
| 164 | Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | 6.8% |
| 165 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 6.7% |
| 166 | Bhutan | 6.4% |
| 166 | Philippines | 6.4% |
| 168 | China | 6.2% |
| 169 | Chad | 6.1% |
| 169 | Singapore | 6.1% |
| 171 | Malawi | 5.8% |
| 171 | Myanmar | 5.8% |
| 171 | Rwanda | 5.8% |
| 174 | Burkina Faso | 5.6% |
| 175 | Afghanistan | 5.5% |
| 175 | Niger | 5.5% |
| 177 | Burundi | 5.4% |
| 178 | Lao People’s Democratic Republic | 5.3% |
| 178 | Madagascar | 5.3% |
| 178 | Uganda | 5.3% |
| 181 | Sri Lanka | 5.2% |
| 182 | Eritrea | 5.0% |
| 183 | Republic of Korea | 4.7% |
| 184 | Ethiopia | 4.5% |
| 185 | Japan | 4.3% |
| 186 | Nepal | 4.1% |
| 187 | Cambodia | 3.9% |
| 187 | India | 3.9% |
| 189 | Timor-Leste | 3.8% |
| 190 | Bangladesh | 3.6% |
| 191 | Viet Nam | 2.1% |
Top 10 Most Obese OECD Countries
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is an intergovernmental economic organization comprising 36 member countries with the goal of stimulating economic progress and world trade. The Economist magazine describes OECD as “the club of mostly rich countries.” The Telegraph says OECD members account for 80% of all world trade and investment. Below are the top 10 most obese OECD countries.
| Global Rank | Country | % of Adult Population That Is Obese |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | United States | 36.2% |
| 17 | Turkey | 32.1% |
| 22 | New Zealand | 30.8% |
| 26 | Canada | 29.4% |
| 27 | Australia | 29.0% |
| 28 | Mexico | 28.9% |
| 32 | Chile | 28.0% |
| 33 | United Kingdom | 27.8% |
| 41 | Hungary | 26.4% |
| 44 | Israel | 26.1% |
Sources:
World Health Organization, “Obesity and Overweight,” who.int, Mar. 3, 2020
World Health Organization, “Obesity: Situation and Trends,” who.int, 2014
World Health Organization, “Prevalence of Obesity among Adults, BMI [Greater than or Equal to] 30, Age-Standardized Estimates by Country” who.int (accessed Mar. 26, 2020)
Buttonwood, “The Economist Explains: What Is the OECD?,” economist.com, July 6, 2017
The Telegraph, “What Is the OECD?,” telegraph.co.uk, Apr. 12, 2011
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