Obesity definitions, sources and methods:

Obesity definition: obese is a person with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 kg/m2.

BMI is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2)

The data on obesity displayed on the Worldometer's counter is based on the latest statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them clinically obese.

Obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and globalization of food markets are just some of the forces thought to underlie the epidemic.

Money spent due to obesity related diseases in the USA - sources and methods

Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life.

For the USA:

of 22 industrialized countries, the U.S. has the highest obesity statistics

2/3 of Americans over age 20 are overweight

nearly 1/3 of Americans over age 20 are obese

Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance.

The likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes and hypertension rises steeply with increasing body fatness. Confined to older adults for most of the 20th century, this disease now affects obese children even before puberty. Approximately 85% of people with diabetes are type 2, and of these, 90% are obese or overweight.

Raised BMI also increases the risks of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, endometroium, kidney and gallbladder.

Chronic overweight and obesity contribute significantly to osteoarthritis, a major cause of disability in adults. Although obesity should be considered a disease in its own right, it is also one of the key risk factors for other chronic diseases together with smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

According to the American Cancer Society, obesity cost an estimated $75 billion in 2003 because of the long and expensive treatment for several of its complications. According to the National Institute of Health, $75-$125 billion is spent on indirect and direct costs due to obesity-related diseases.

Eric Schlosser in his book "Fast Food Nation" states that the annual health care costs in the United States stemming from obesity approaches $240 billion.

References and useful resources