Beyond the Scale: Understanding
 Obesity in the Modern World

Obesity in Numbers:

• Globally, around 42 per cent of people were overweight or severely overweight (obese) in 2020

• The World Obesity Federation estimates that the proportion of

• people who are overweight or obese will rise to around 54 per cent worldwide by 2035.

• Globally, 20 percent of children and adolescents aged 5–19 are overweight and 10 per cent are obese.

• In Germany, one in six children, two-thirds of men and 50 per cent of women are overweight or obese.

How does obesity come about?

Obesity develops when the body takes in more energy than it uses over a long period of time. The excess energy is stored as fat, causing body weight to increase. However, its development is usually the result of a combination of various factors and does not have a specific…