Obesity Rates Rising: 10 Fattest Countries In The Developed World (SLIDESHOW)

Though the growth in obesity rates has slowed in a number of developed countries over the past decade, more people living in the developed world are obese than ever before, according to information released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The brief presents an updated analysis of trends and social disparities in obesity that were originally reported in the 2010 report "Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat."

That report indicates that 500 million people worldwide, or 1 out of every 10, is obese, a condition defined by the World Health Organization as having a body mass index of 30 or above.

According to today's update, which looks at data from 10 of the developed nations analyzed in the 2010 global report, obesity rates have significantly slowed or stopped altogether in England, Hungary, Italy, Korea and Switzerland, and have grown only slightly France and Spain.

In many cases of slowed growth, the nations have passed legislation that imposed higher taxes on fatty and sugary foods, according to the Associated Press.

On the other end of the spectrum, obesity rates have grown by 4 to 5 percent in Mexico and the United States, the country with the highest rate of obesity of any developed nation.

Altogether, obesity rates across the developed word are alarmingly high, ranging from 3 to 4 percent in Korea and Japan to more than 30 percent in the United States.

The study also found that growing obesity rates are increasingly the result of social and economic inequality. For example, less educated women were 2 to 3 times more likely than their educated counterparts to be overweight, and obese workers earned up to 18 percent less than the non-obese.

The report said that implementing a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy would help save over 155,000 lives per year in some nations.

Check out the slideshow below for the 10 most obese countries in the developed world according to the OECD:

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Comments

[Brycon Lucy Casey]

04:21 AM on 04/15/2013

Mexico? Developed?

[Diyeiogt]

07:22 PM on 12/07/2012

Being a Mexican living in the U.S...

Hopeless...

[timothytj1]

01:22 AM on 03/09/2013

Then go back to Mexico, no one wants your people here anyway.

[Ashlieeeee]

04:27 PM on 11/12/2012

MAKE ME WANT BURGER!

[Gary Moring]

10:15 PM on 10/16/2012

Sorry, I do not buy it. The USA is FAR from the fattest. Just another USA smear campaign.

[MickeyMouse510]

11:16 AM on 12/16/2012

Go visit Texas, then we can talk.

[Jes from Kemah]

06:23 PM on 04/14/2013

Or Michigan. I saw way more overweight in Michigan than Texas.

[Jay Baumann]

03:35 PM on 04/07/2012

my girlfriend, who i love to death, insists her being over weight (not obese) is due to a medical condition. she eats too much, isnt a medical condition. then again i love her so i wont talk about her eating and she doesnt talk about my learning addiction o.o''

[ShawnzySwag]

11:41 AM on 01/17/2013

Compulsive overeating is in fact a medical disorder. It's an OCD and anxiety related condition.

[Jay Baumann]

03:34 PM on 04/07/2012

this article is...
WRONG! sorry guys but the obesity rate on many of the polynesian isles is 90%

[RCDawg85]

09:46 PM on 04/25/2012

It clearly says developed countries in the article.

But yes, you are correct...nations like Samoa have astronomical obesity levels.

[John Phillip Pollard]

05:45 AM on 08/28/2012

The Polynesian Isles aren't considered a Developed Country mate.

[Michael Velazquez]

11:38 PM on 03/21/2012

US IS NUMBER ONE IN EVERYTHING BABY!!!!

[Carole Carson]

05:00 PM on 03/15/2012

The medical consequences of surplus weight seem to be well publicized. But the financial consequences are under the radar. As political leaders face the rising tab associated with a medically challenged overweight population, I predict we will see a shift in the tax structure on certain foods, such as sugared drinks. Whether the introduction of taxes on fat-inducing food will be enough to change behavior remains to be seen.

[dm23nyc]

10:40 PM on 02/24/2012

Big Mac anyone?????

[amberhrt1]

04:12 PM on 02/24/2012

Took my fat carcass on a trip to europe this year. I think that although Europeans love to eat and drink, they also bike and walk a lot more. Bicycle trails were everywhere...safe trails away from traffic. Also, every day, many Europeans walk to the shops and get the daily groceries. Often there are markets with lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. Here, only the rich have nice recreational paths to walk or bike on inside their gated communities. The poorer you are, the more you need a car unless you live in a city. I used to like to walk around my neighborhood and the country lane nearby, but there are so many loose dogs, that it is a dangerous proposition. Sad. Plus, a Frenchman told us about the strict rules regarding food in their country. Everything is clean, safe, regulated.No chemicals and hormones. Portions are rich and flavorful, but much smaller than we are used to. After you eat a good meal, you often take a nice walk instead of hopping in the car. Of course, I need to stop making excuses, eat less and healthier, find safe places to walk (even if I have to DRIVE to get there). But it's a way of life there and not here. We need to change the way we live.

[BrainZ]

03:24 PM on 02/24/2012

All I see is people moving in cars even to the shortest of distances. The food portions so big, the meat alone...Oh God, a huge piece of meat just for one person! Lots of cheese of different kinds and people snack on it, too much oily food....

[CologneCitizen]

08:45 AM on 02/24/2012

All serious studies have shown a very simple thing. Obesity depends on the quantities you eat. Who knew ? There also is a relation to your educational background. I guess smarter people not only take care more of their health, they also are concerned about their looks. The complaint more wealthy people have it easier is nonsense. You don't have to eat fast food because you are poor. However nowaydays many are simply lazy to prepare a meal no matter in what country they are living in.

[iamdrowning0]

01:22 AM on 08/21/2012

"I guess smarter people not only take care more of their health, they also are concerned about their looks." Wow. Imagine having no idea how to read a nutirition label or having anyone to even teach you about nutrition should it concern you. People with backgrounds where education and resources, and even simple answers to seemingly common-knowledge questions, take it for granted that they understand how to eat in a healthy manner. I was raised by a mother who thinks that there is nutrition in butter.

I am fortunate to have overcome some educational boundaries and I don't do any grocery shopping without first reading the nutrition facts on any packaged food. Yes, vanity is definitely a great motivator in what and how much I choose to eat,. but I don't think obeseity has much to do with education+vanity. Who do you generally see in better shape: people who have climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, or exotic dancers?

Anyway, I'm drunk and I'm pretty sure I have made no point yet. Cliff's notes of my brain: education = less obesity. Money = not so much a factor. Vanity = a factor until a pretty face and ability to unhealthily starve oneself no longer become factors.

Conclusion: If you know someone who eats like shit and makes excuses for not exercising, try to educate their dumb, lazy ass. Let's try to get a little group effort going here.

[oral surgeon]

07:59 AM on 02/24/2012

the number one and two "pork bellies" in the US republican party...Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie....ever notice what arrogant p***ks both of them are......?

[oral surgeon]

07:57 AM on 02/24/2012

isn't it great we are number one in consumption on EVERY level...

[Johnnyash]

06:36 AM on 02/24/2012

Yeah! America! Numer one!

C'mon T-Partiers - put down your corn dogs and fried twinkies and join me - USA! USA! USA!