"South Korea Shows Similar Trend to Developed Nations"...Obesity Analysis of 232 Million People Worldwide [Reading Science]

Nature Analyzes Data from 232 Million People
"Obesity Increase Varies by Country"

"South Korea's Rise Is Moderate... Potential Public Health Crisis in Low-Income Countries"

A large-scale international study has found that while the global obesity rate increase is slowing down in developed countries, it is actually accelerating in low- and middle-income countries. The researchers pointed out that obesity should not be viewed simply as a "global epidemic," but should be approached differently depending on each country, age group, and gender.

The NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), an international research network involving approximately 2,000 scientists worldwide, analyzed height and weight data from 232 million people collected in 200 countries and regions between 1980 and 2024. The results were published in the international journal Nature on May 14.

A large-scale international study has found that while the global obesity rate increase is slowing down in developed countries, it is accelerating in low- and middle-income countries. Reference photo to aid in understanding the article. Provided by Pixabay.

The study found that while the obesity rate has increased in almost every country over the past 45 years, the rate and pattern of increase differed significantly by country.

In high-income countries such as Western Europe, North America, and Australasia, the obesity rate rose rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, but the increase has recently slowed or plateaued. In some Western European countries, adult obesity rates have stabilized at around 11% to 23%, and the rates among children and adolescents have also plateaued at around 4% to 15%.

In contrast, some countries in Central Europe and Latin America have seen adult obesity rates rise to as high as 30% to 40%. The researchers analyzed that economic growth, urbanization, the spread of ultra-processed foods, and decreased physical activity are acting together to accelerate the increase in obesity in low- and middle-income countries.

In the case of Korea, the overall obesity rate has continued to rise, but the pace of increase has tended to be relatively moderate, according to the researchers. However, the trends differed by gender.

Suh Youngkyo, Principal Researcher at the Aging Convergence Research Group of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, said to the Science Media Center Korea (SMCK), "This study shows that there are strong obesogenic forces driving obesity worldwide," adding, "While high-income countries are seeing the increase slow down, low- and middle-income countries are experiencing the full onset of the obesity epidemic."

She continued, "Going forward, it is highly likely that the center of gravity in the global obesity issue will shift to low- and middle-income countries," and added, "If economic growth, urbanization, and the expansion of ultra-processed foods converge, even countries with currently low obesity rates could experience a rapid acceleration in the increase."

Marie Spreckley, Research Program Manager at the University of Cambridge (UK), evaluated, "The key point of this study is not that obesity is no longer an important public health issue, but that the trajectory of obesity differs from country to country."

She added, "While some high-income countries showed signs of the obesity increase slowing or stabilizing, the still high prevalence itself remains a significant social burden. Understanding why some countries show relatively better trends will be a core challenge for future obesity policy and prevention strategies."

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