World Obesity Atlas 2025

The majority of countries in the world do not have sufficient plans and policies in place to deal with rising obesity levels, researchers at the World Obesity Federation have warned.

The World Obesity Federation’s 2025 Atlas, published on World Obesity Day, (4 March), projects that the total number of adults living with obesity will increase by more than 115% between 2010 and 2030, from 524 million to 1.13 billion.

We are calling on governments to address obesity as a 'whole-of-society' issue, by introducing policies including food labelling and taxation, by creating built environments that encourage physical activity, and by strengthening health systems to deliver people-centred obesity healthcare.

Key findings from 2025 Atlas:

• Two-thirds of countries worldwide have none or just one of five key policies in place to address obesity
• Only 7% of countries have health systems adequately prepared
• 1.6 million premature deaths from non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke are caused by overweight and obesity annually - a number that outstrips road traffic fatalities
• The world is failing to meet targets to halt rise in obesity and diabetes and reduce deaths from non-communicable disease