Top 10 Obese Countries in the World

Published September 1, 2018

The WHO organization created "World Obesity Day" on March 4 to combat the world's weight problem. Out of a global population of around 7.5 billion, over 603 million adults and 107 million children are obese. Obesity rates by country show a devastating link between obesity rates and serious diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Would you be surprised to find out that the United States is not the most obese country in the world? Explore this list of the top 10 most obese countries in the world to see if your country makes the list.

Republic of Nauru: Percentage of population that is obese: 61%_[2]

Nauru has rapidly replaced its traditional diet of fresh fruit, fish, and vegetables with fried chicken and cola.

Cook Islands: 55.9%_[1]

Lurking behind the paradise of the Cook Islands is a deadly obesity epidemic.

Palau: 55.3%_[3]

Residents of Palau suffer from increased levels of life threatening diseases, such as hypertension.

Marshall Islands: 52.9%_[8]

Sixty years ago, diabetes was practically unheard of in the Marshall Islands.

Tuvalu: 51.6%_[6]

Because the island is so small, a single tourist resort, fast-food chain, or trade deal has a much more profound effect on society than it would, say, in India.

Niue: 50%_[4]

Nine of the world's ten most obese countries are in the Pacific.

Tonga: 48.32%_[10]

Up to 40% of the Tongan population has type 2 diabetes. (Donyanedomam / Getty Images)

Samoa: 47.3%_[9]

In the 1950s, U.S. poultry farms began dumping unwanted fatty turkey tails into markets in Samoa, where they soon became a Samoan favorite.

Kiribati: 46%_[7]

Globalization introduced processed and calorie-dense food, such as Spam and corned beef. (Jody Jacobson / Getty Images)

Kuwait: 37.9_[5]

The very first McDonald’s restaurant in Kuwait appeared on a U.S. military base during the 1991 invasion of Iraq. Since then, obesity rates have skyrocketed.