May 13, 2026

New analysis of global obesity trends

There’s a current perception that we’re facing a ‘global obesity epidemic’ of rising rates of obesity in young people and adults in countries all around the world.

A new study, published in Nature, aimed to look into this claim by looking at health data from 200 countries and territories (including the UK), covering the period from 1980 to 2024, to understand how rates of obesity have changed at the country-level. The study highlights the countries where obesity levels continue to rise, have plateaued, or in some instances have begun to see a decline.

Journalists came along to this press briefing where the authors of the review will present their findings and can answer your questions, particularly on the UK data.

Speakers will include:

Prof Majid Ezzati, Global Environmental Health, Imperial College London

Olivia O’Driscoll, Research Assistant in Population Health, Imperial College London

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of comments.