Most Obese Country in the World – Nauru

The main reason for the high increase in obesity rates in Nauru is related to the 90% of land damaged by phosphate farming. This condition forced Nauru to start buying food from Western countries. It led to a big rise in processed food consumption in Nauru. In the 1990s, Nauru started eating more canned spam and corned beef instead of the seafood, tubers, and fruits they used to eat earlier. Traditional cooking methods like using banana leaves and coconut milk were replaced by simpler, less healthy options like fried eggs, sugary drinks, and chicken with rice. These changes in their diet, along with less physical activity, caused Nauru to be called the world’s fattest country. Right now, 94% of Nauru’s people are overweight, and 66% of those who are 55 or older have diabetes.

Most Obese Country in the World – Nauru – Overview

Obesity Rate

94% (entire population)

Diabetes Rate

66% (among ages 55+)

Diet Shift

Seafood, tubers, fruits -> Canned spam, corned beef, sugary drinks

Cause of Obesity

Destruction of landscape from phosphate farming, leading to reliance on processed food imports

Traditional Diet

Seafood, tubers, fruits

Current Diet

Canned spam, corned beef, fried eggs, chicken with rice, sugary drinks

Notable Change

Increase in processed food consumption and Health Impact High obesity and diabetes rates

List of Top 10 Countries with Most Obese People

Nauru is a small Pacific island nation that is considered the most obese country in the world. It is also known as the fattest country because of its diet and lack of exercise. In 2024; The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 94.5% population of Nauru is overweight or affected by the obese and the current obesity rate of Nauru is 71.7%.

In this article, we are going to discuss the top 10 countries with most obese people.

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Top 10 Countries with Most Obese People

Rank Country Obesity Rate (% of adults) 1 Nauru ~61% 2 Cook Islands ~56% 3 Palau ~55% 4 Marshall Islands ~52% 5 Tuvalu ~52% 6 Niue ~50% 7 Tonga ~48% 8 Samoa ~47% 9 Kiribati ~46% 10 Micronesia, Federated States of ~45%...

Most Obese Countries in the World

Here’s a list of countries with high obesity rates, based on available data. Note that obesity rates can change due to various factors, including public health initiatives and changes in societal norms regarding diet and physical activity....

Most Obese Country in the World – Nauru

The main reason for the high increase in obesity rates in Nauru is related to the 90% of land damaged by phosphate farming. This condition forced Nauru to start buying food from Western countries. It led to a big rise in processed food consumption in Nauru. In the 1990s, Nauru started eating more canned spam and corned beef instead of the seafood, tubers, and fruits they used to eat earlier. Traditional cooking methods like using banana leaves and coconut milk were replaced by simpler, less healthy options like fried eggs, sugary drinks, and chicken with rice. These changes in their diet, along with less physical activity, caused Nauru to be called the world’s fattest country. Right now, 94% of Nauru’s people are overweight, and 66% of those who are 55 or older have diabetes....

Reasons Behind The High Rising Obesity In Nauru

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Nauru has the highest number of overweight people globally. On average, Nauruans weigh around 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Their BMI is between 34 and 35, making Nauru the world’s fattest country. A healthy BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9, while anything over 30 is considered obese. The obesity crisis in Nauru is linked to the introduction of Western foods, which were funded by profits from phosphate mining. Between 1980 and 2008, the average BMI increased by more than 2 kilograms per square meter each decade for both men and women in Nauru....

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In Samoa, the obesity rate is 80.2 %, which is one of the highest globally. In 2007, Samoa stopped importing turkey tails to improve public health. However, countries usually can’t ban imports unless there are health reasons. Samoa lifted the ban in 2013 to join the WTO, despite health concerns. The obesity rate in Samoa is 75%. Samoa also banned New Zealand mutton flaps in 2007. Turkey tails are fatty meat, 75% fat, also called parson’s nose, pope’s nose, or sultan’s nose....

Least Obese Country – Vietnam

Vietnam has one of the lowest rates of obesity worldwide, with only 2.1% of the population classified as obese. Among children and adolescents aged 5-19 years, 19.0% are overweight and 8.1% are obese. The adult obesity rate is just 1%, and even among children under 5 years old, the prevalence of overweight is only 7.4%. Although Vietnam has ranked as the high physical inactive country, it also boasts the lowest rate of adult obesity globally. A study from Stanford University initially caused concern by ranking Vietnamese people’s daily steps as among the lowest worldwide....

FAQs – Most Obese Country in the World

Where does India rank in obesity?...