This article contains a set of ranked fattest countries in the world. You will learn the names of countries, where they are located and also why are they facing this problem. This article will also help you understand what is obesity and what harm does it cause to humans.
Obesity
The double burden of malnutrition includes obesity, and now, everywhere save sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. there are more fat people than underweight people. Obesity and overweight are now substantially on the rise in low- and middle-income nations, especially in metropolitan areas, although they were once thought to be problems mainly in high-income countries. The bulk of obese or overweight kids is part of developing nations, where the rate of growth is more than 30% greater than in industrialised nations.
Fattest countries
The abnormal or excessive fat buildup that poses a risk to health is what is meant by the terms “overweight” and “obesity.” Being overweight and obese are both defined by a body mass index of above 25, respectively. There are many countries that have a huge portion of the population facing obesity because of malnutrition. There is a list of the fattest countries in the world that ranks all the countries on the base of obesity level in the population. In both adults and children, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising. Overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 more than quadrupled from 4% to 18% worldwide between 1975 and 2016.
Top ten fattest countries
1-Nauru
Nauru is at the top of the list of fattest countries in the world. Phosphate deposits cover around 90% of Nauru’s land, with the bulk being strip-mined and also unusable for agriculture. Because of this Nauruans are dependent on processed foods that they import from sizable Oceanian nations like Australia and New Zealand and contain both sugar and fat. Nauruans historically relied on fishing and gardening for their food. In addition, the staple foods of the original Nauruan diet were coconuts, fruits, root vegetables, and marine fish. Due to an increase in economic prosperity from mining activities, Nauru attained independence in 1968.
2-Cook Islands
An independent island country in the South Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands is free to associate with New Zealand. It consists of 15 islands with a combined land size of 240 square kilometres. It ranks as the second-fattest country in the world. The remote Cook Islands in the South Pacific have been growing a robust tourism business for the past 30 years. The traditional diet has been supplanted by imported, frequently calorically dense and nutrient-deficient manufactured foods, and the nation is now 82% dependent on food imports. Adult obesity rates have soared to 80-90%, and non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease now account for 81% of adult fatalities.
3-Palau
Western Pacific island nation of Palau, also called Belau, Palaos, or Pelew. The Republic of Palau is the official name of Palau. It connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with a portion of the Federated States of Micronesia and has about 340 islands. 466 square kilometres make up the entire surface. On the list of fattest nations, it is third from the bottom. To determine the percentage of children under the age of five who are overweight and to determine if Palau is on track to stop the number from rising, insufficient prevalence data are available. Finally, Palau has made only a little amount of progress toward the non-communicable illness targets relating to nutrition. Unfortunately, the country has made no progress in achieving the obesity goal.
4-Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, also known as the Marshall Islands, is an independent island nation in the Pacific Ocean, a little west of the International Date Line. It locates close to the Equator. The country is a part of Micronesia’s greater island chain geographically. There are few resources available to small island states like the Marshall Islands. The Marshallese have had to substitute foreign imports for native cuisine in order to feed their population of around 60,000 people. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases and obesity is a result of this. The most prevalent NCD is diabetes.
5-Tuvalu
In the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, sits Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands. Nine islands make up this group. The capital atoll of Funafuti is home to roughly half of Tuvalu’s population, which totals about 11,000 people. Even when fish and traditional vegetables are available, Tuvaluans have chosen a diet that includes significant amounts of corned beef, rice, and sugar. The increased consumption of processed foods in Tuvaluans’ diets is a factor in the country’s rising rates of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular ailments too.
6-Niue
Niue is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,400 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. Niue’s land area is approximately 261 square kilometres, and its population, which is primarily Polynesian, was around 1,600 in 2016. Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands form a triangle with Niue at the centre. Niue is the sixth fattest country in the world when it comes to obesity. It is obvious that Niue has a high prevalence of NCD risk factors, with elevated blood glucose and, above all, hypertension levels being of particular concern. As a result, primary and secondary prevention efforts must be prioritised and must appreciate the Niue Health Department, the top priorities they’ve determined for managing and lowering modifiable risk variables, including illness that is already present.
7-Tonga
Tonga is a Polynesian nation and archipelago, known as the Kingdom of Tonga. It is one of the fattest countries in the world. There are 171 islands in the country, but only 45 of them have life on them. Its 750 km2 of the total surface area is dispersed across 700,000 km2 of the southern Pacific Ocean. The goal of decreasing anaemia among women of reproductive age is not achieved, and 28.5% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 are now affected. In the meantime, there aren’t enough prevalence statistics or data to judge how far Tonga has come in meeting the low birth weight goal.
8-Samoa
A country in Oceania called Samoa is one of the fattest countries in the world. It locates midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. Savaii and Upolu, the two largest islands in Samoa, that a number of smaller islets and islands joined. The interior is home to rocky, mountainous terrain that volcanic activity created. The tiny Samoan islands have some of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes and obesity in the entire globe, and since the 1970s, diet- and weight-related health problems have been on the rise in these Pacific states. Currently, diabetes affects one in three American Samoan citizens. Epidemiologists from all over the world have begun to pay notice to these islands since the typical Samoan’s weight has skyrocketed and their health has drastically deteriorated.
9-Kiribati
Kiribati or the Republic of Kiribati is an island country in Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. It stands at number 9 among the fattest countries. Over 119,000 people call Tarawa Atoll home permanently, accounting for more than half of the population. A distant rising coral island named Banaba and 32 atolls make up the state. There are 3.5 million km2 of ocean and an overall land area of 811 km2. According to an examination of the food information from the 2019–20 Kiribati Household Income and Expenditure Survey, one in 12 I-Kiribatis lacks access to the nutritional energy required to lead a regular, active life.
10-Micronesia
A subregion of Oceania is called Micronesia. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean and is made up of roughly 2,000 tiny islands. The Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and Melanesia to the south are three other island groups with which it has a close cultural past in addition to the larger Austronesian peoples. Due to the alarmingly high rates of overweight and obesity in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), there has been a lot of media attention. One to ten of the world’s fattest nations is this one. Recent genetic research in Kosrae has demonstrated the significant heritability of obesity. Efforts are now being made to pinpoint the genes responsible for the condition in humans. Possible social and developmental factors contributing to obesity in the FSM, however, have received little focus.
Conclusion
Obesity is a complicated medical condition in which an excessive quantity of body fat is stored. The issue of obesity extends beyond aesthetics. It is a medical condition that raises the chance of several diseases and health issues. It includes heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer. Countries ranked as the fattest countries suffer from a huge death rate. The governments of those countries need to work on the nutrition of their people. It needs to lower the rate of obesity to save its people from suffering.
