As new economies boom and global efforts to eradicate malnutrition gain traction, world hunger has dropped 17 percent since 1990, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

But progress on that front has been countered by a burgeoning health crisis that many consider a curse of plenty. As diets diverge globally between the haves and have-nots, the world is shifting to a new front in the global war on malnutrition: obesity.

The number of overweight and obese adults in the developing world has expanded by more than 260 percent since 1980, according to new data from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). There are now over 900 million obese or overweight people in the developing world — up from about 250 million in 1980.

The study’s authors emphasize that obesity and other derivatives of poor nutrition — collectively termed hidden hunger — have become increasingly important issues as traditional hunger has eroded. The ODI found increased consumption of meats, sugars, fats and oils across the globe and noted that “increasingly, the concern is less about macronutrition and more about micronutrition.”

Analysts also highlight a growing disparity within developing nations that still have many people without enough to eat. The WFP says 842 million go hungry daily.

“The world is bifurcating into a group of people who have too much and a group of people who consume too little,” said John Hoddinott, a senior research fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute. “And its more marked in the developing world because chronic undernutrition remains much more prevalent.”

As economies boom in a new cadre of industrial giants and global efforts to eradicate malnutrition gain traction, world hunger has dropped 17 percent since 1990, according to the World Food Program. But progress on that front has been countered by a burgeoning health crisis many consider a curse of plenty. As diets diverge globally between the haves and have-nots, the world is shifting focus to a new – and equally dire – front in the global war against malnutrition: obesity. The number of overweight and obese adults in the developing world has more than tripled since 1980, according to new data from the Overseas Development Institute. There are now nearly one billion obese or overweight people in the developing world alone – up from 250 million in 1980. The study’s authors emphasize that obesity and other derivatives of poor nutrition – collectively termed “hidden hunger” – are endemic even as traditional hunger is eroded. ODI found increasing consumption of meats, fats, oils, and sugars, as well as greater caloric consumption in developing nations, noting that “increasingly, the concern is less about macro-nutrition and more about micro-nutrition." Analysts note a classist disparity in the ODI data, too, with many overeating as their countrymen continue to starve. “The world is bifurcating into a group of people who have too much and a group of people who consume too little,” said John Hoddinott, a senior research fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute. “And its more marked in the developing world because chronic under-nutrition remains much more prevalent.”