Chapter 3 Additional World Health Assembly nutrition indicators

This section assesses progress towards three additional WHA-endorsed global nutrition targets, i.e. exclusive breastfeeding, low birthweight, and adult obesity.

3.1 Adult obesity

The prevalence of adult obesity in the Arab States reached 32.1 percent in 2022, which was double the world estimate (15.8 percent). The prevalence of obesity among adults in the region has been on the rise in all income groups since 2000 (Figure 17). Among the income groups, the prevalence of obesity among adults was especially high in high-income countries (38.6 percent) and in lower-middle-income countries (36.3 percent) in 2022 (Table 11).

FIGURE 17.

Prevalence of obesity among adults in the Arab States by country income group

Note: The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV).
Source: Based on WHO. 2024. Global Health Observatory: Prevalence of obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 (age-standardized estimate) (%). Estimates by country. [Accessed on 24 July 2024]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/prevalence-of-obesity-among-adults-bmi-=-30-(age-standardized-estimate)-(-). Licence: CC-BY-4.0.
Download: https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7552en-fig17
TABLE 11.

Prevalence of obesity among adults (percent)

2000200520102012201520202022
World8.710.111.512.113.114.915.8
Arab States19.622.725.726.828.531.132.1
Low-income countries10.312.514.815.616.118.519.7
Lower-middle-income countries22.225.728.930.232.135.236.3
Upper-middle-income countries19.021.924.425.627.430.331.5
High-income countries26.330.033.234.135.637.838.6
Note: The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV).
Source: Based on WHO. 2024. Global Health Observatory: Prevalence of obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 (age-standardized estimate) (%). Estimates by country. [Accessed on 24 July 2024]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/prevalence-of-obesity-among-adults-bmi-=-30-(age-standardized-estimate)-(-). Licence: CC-BY-4.0.

The prevalence of obesity among adults in 2022 was particularly high in Egypt (44.3 percent), Qatar (43.1 percent) and Kuwait (41.4 percent) (Figure 18). The prevalence of obesity was the lower among low-income and lower-middle-income countries in 2022: Djibouti (11.3 percent), Yemen (13.7 percent) and Somalia (14.6 percent).

FIGURE 18.

Prevalence of obesity among adults in the Arab States by country income group and country

Note: The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV).
Source: Based on WHO. 2024. Global Health Observatory: Prevalence of obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 (age-standardized estimate) (%). Estimates by country. [Accessed on 24 July 2024]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/prevalence-of-obesity-among-adults-bmi-=-30-(age-standardized-estimate)-(-). Licence: CC-BY-4.0.
Download: https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7552en-fig18