Incredible map shows world's 'fattest countries' – tiny island the most obese

The world’s fattest countries have been ranked in a new interactive map. Drawing on data from 195 countries across the world, the map, published by Our World in Data, shows the huge disparity in obesity rates.

Including data from 128.9 million people, the figures come from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration which recorded worldwide trends between 1975 and 2016. 

The ranking was based on body mass index (BMI), putting people into categories of being underweight, overweight or obese. Someone is considered overweight if their BMI is equal to or greater than 25. And a BMI over 30 constitutes obesity. 

On the other hand, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that a “healthy” BMI is considered to be between 18.5 and 24.9.

The findings revealed that 39 percent of the world’s adults were overweight or obese, with 63.7 percent of Britons falling into those categories.

Worryingly, people who are overweight or obese have a hiked risk of serious health problems, including death, stroke, cancer and high blood pressure, according to the CDC.

Interestingly, the top 10 fattest countries were all located in the Pacific, with the island of Nauru holding the crown spot. With a population of just 12,511, the island sees almost nine in every 10 people overweight, according to the data.

Taking the next two prime spots were the island of Palau in second place and the Cook Islands in third place, with 85.1 percent and 84.7 percent of their population being considered overweight or obese respectively.

The United Kingdom was ranked the 30th fattest nation in the world. 

You can see the top 10 most overweight countries in the world ranked below:

1. Nauru (88.5 percent)
2. Palau (85.1 percent)
3. Cook Islands (84.7 percent)
4. Marshall Islands (83.5 percent)
5. Tuvalu (81.9 percent)
6. Niue (80 percent)
7. Kiribati (78.7 percent)
8. Tonga (78.5 percent)
9. Samoa (77.6 percent) 
10. Micronesia (75.9 percent).

According to Our World in Data, the map was updated on January 3, 2024. The next expected update is set for January 2025.