Global Obesity Statistics: Adults and Children Overweight
WHO obesity data: 2.5 billion adults overweight and 890 million obese in 2022, child and teen trends since 1990, deaths and projected costs.
- Updated October 1, 2026
- 6 min read
- 1 source
- Global
Executive Summary
In 2022, 2.5 billion adults were overweight, including over 890 million living with obesity. That is 43% of adults, up from 25% in 1990, and adult obesity prevalence more than doubled over the same period to about 16%. Over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight in 2022, and an estimated 35 million children under 5 were overweight in 2024. Higher-than-optimal BMI caused an estimated 3.7 million deaths in 2021.
Key Numbers
- Projected cost
- US$3 trillion[1]
- Annual global cost of overweight and obesity by 2030 if nothing is done (projection)
Charts
Share of adults aged 18 and older who were overweight (including obesity), worldwide (WHO).
- 199025%
- 202243%
Share of children and adolescents aged 5-19 who were overweight (including obesity) and who were obese, worldwide (WHO).
- Overweight 19908%
- Overweight 202220%
- Obesity 19902%
- Obesity 20228%
Overview
WHO classifies obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease and states that more than 1 billion people are living with obesity, with prevalence rising in nearly every country [1]. Overweight and obesity are diagnosed using body mass index (BMI), weight in kg divided by height in metres squared, with age- and sex-specific cut-offs for children [1].
Adults
In 2022, 2.5 billion adults aged 18 and older were overweight, including over 890 million living with obesity [1]. This equals 43% of adults (43% of men and 44% of women), up from 25% in 1990 [1]. About 16% of adults worldwide were obese in 2022, and worldwide obesity prevalence more than doubled between 1990 and 2022 [1].
Overweight prevalence ranged from 31% in the WHO South-East Asia and African Regions to 67% in the Region of the Americas [1].
Children and Adolescents
Over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight in 2022 [1]. Overweight prevalence (including obesity) in this age group rose from 8% in 1990 to 20% in 2022, with 19% of girls and 21% of boys overweight in 2022 [1]. Obesity rose from 2% of 5-19-year-olds (31 million) in 1990 to 8% (over 160 million) in 2022 [1].
An estimated 35 million children under 5 were overweight in 2024 [1]. In Africa the number of overweight children under 5 has increased by nearly 12.1% since 2000, and almost half of overweight under-5s in 2024 lived in Asia [1].
Health and Economic Impact
In 2021, higher-than-optimal BMI caused an estimated 3.7 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers [1]. If nothing is done, the global costs of overweight and obesity are projected to reach US$3 trillion per year by 2030 and more than US$18 trillion by 2060 [1]. These cost figures are projections, not measured values.
Many low- and middle-income countries face a double burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition and obesity in the same country, community or household [1].
Methodology
All figures come from the WHO obesity and overweight fact sheet [1], which draws on NCD-RisC estimates for 2022 adult and school-age data, joint child malnutrition estimates for under-5 data, and the Global Burden of Disease study for deaths. Adults are aged 18 and over. Overweight counts include people with obesity. Cost values are projections. No FREEE.REPORT calculations are used.
Sources
- [1]
Obesity and overweight - Fact sheet / World Health Organization / Accessed October 1, 2026 / View source
Figures are reproduced from the publishers above. Calculations marked as our own are derived from these figures. Always check the original source before using a number.
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