25 Least Obese Countries in the World
In this piece, we will take a look at the 25 least obese countries in the world. For more countries, head on over to 5 Least Obese Countries in the World.
Depending on who you ask, you're likely to get different answers about the current state of human civilization and how we've evolved in just a couple of centuries. Key metrics such as poverty and hunger are on a downward trend - at least when we consider the last 'normal' point in history i.e. before the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, data from the United Nations' World Food Program shows that as soon as in 2005, almost a billion people were hungry on the planet, but in just a decade this figure dropped to 770 million - indicating that humanity is making some progress on one of the most important of progress metrics. Yet, at the same time, diseases such as obesity are also on the rise, particularly in the developed world. While obesity has been studied and categorized for centuries, its growth is a relatively new phenomenon. Research published in the American Diabetes Association shows that before humans settled in societies and started growing their own food, their diet consisted primarily of hunted meat with low levels of fat and fruits and vegetables with high levels of fiber.
However, the growth in agriculture led to plumper animals and by the time of the Renaissance, obesity was considered a sign of being wealthy. Ironically, in the U.S. it was the prohibition of alcoholic beverages that led to the growth in consumption of carbonated beverages. The launch of automobiles and the emergence of fast food joints further increased the caloric intake of the average American. At the same time, the food industry, eager to influence the habits of children, spends up to $12 billion a year to make its high calorie products more attractive. Even more ironically, it was the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s efforts to improve industrial production by providing the working class with cheap calories such as fat and sugar that started a cycle that has now led to high levels of obesity in many countries. (You can check out 20 Most Obese Developed Countries in the World for obesity statistics in the developed world)
Naturally, this growth in obesity has created a market of its own that is worth billions of dollars. In fact, the hype surrounding obesity might be reaching a feverish pitch soon if we believe analysts from the investment bank Morgan Stanley. A research note issued by its analysts in July 2022 contends that obesity is the new hypertension. They compare the state of today's obesity market with that of the hypertension treatment industry from the 1980s to the 1990s, by the end of which it had turned into a $30 billion market. The value of obesity treatments can be even higher by 2030 as the analysts estimate that global obesity sales could sit at $54 billion by then. Backing their sales estimate by numbers, Morgan Stanley's analysts believe that in 2030 a quarter of obesity patients will consult with doctors, up from 7% in 2022. Out of these, more than half, or 55%, will be prescribed a treatment.
Their research about the growth in obesity treatment is further backed up by a variety of new products on the market. Two drugs that have created a lot of hype recently are Tirzepatide and Wegovy. The former, belonging to Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), is a generic drug that is awaiting FDA approval. The latter, made by Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO), is one of the hottest drugs for obesity right now. Tirzepatide is offered under the brand name Mounjaro, but right now, it is only approved as a diabetes treatment. Eli Lilly upped the pressure on the Federal Drug Administration in April 2023, as it shared results from its SURMOUNT-2 phase 3 global clinical trial. The drug maker's results showed that Mounjaro enabled users to lose as much as 15.7% of their body weight, with overall treatment discontinuation rates sitting at 9.3% and 3.8% of users stopping treatment due to adverse effects. The most common side effects experienced were nausea and diarrhea. Wondering how much Mounjaro will cost? Well, Mounjaro costs about a $1,000 per month and is not covered by insurance.
Additionally, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk might not remain the only companies in town to fight obesity. Other firms are also interested in developing treatments, such as Zealand Pharma A/S (CPH:ZEAL.CO) and Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT). The latter shared a mean weight loss of 10.7% from the phase 2 clinical trial of its pemvidutide drug. However, 24% of the patients chose to discontinue the drug due to nausea and vomiting, with one case being so severe that the test subject had to undergo rehydration.
However, Altimmune's drug is unique in the sense that it allows for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity at the same time. NASH is liver damage due to fat buildup, and the firm's executives shared during its earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2022:
I’d point out that in the NASH space, we believe that we’re the only drug that has effective interventions on both NASH inflammatory and fibrotic activity at the end of the trial, but also weight loss. When you’re looking at the obesity population, clearly right now in its early stages of the marketplace and development, people are looking at one thing – they’re looking at the percentage weight loss. That would be nice if insurance companies were looking at that as well. We note that the primary dose of tirzepatide that’s being prescribed right now is not the 15 milligram dose but the 5 milligram dose – it gives you an idea of the kind of weight loss that prescribers and patients might want right now, and despite the fact that tirzepatide had a higher percentage weight loss than semaglutide in clinical trials, that semaglutide is being prescribed quite nicely.
Our projection for the percentage weight loss is actually greater than semaglutide at 24 weeks, but we think in terms of the target product profile, what will it include, it will include meaningful weight loss, meaning as Vipin pointed out, in that 15% to 20% range, although at the end of 48 weeks, although we think that based on our Phase I study results, we can achieve more than that. We believe a successful target product profile would include that as a base case. We think it’s important that it also be replete with the treatment of the comorbidities that are ultimately going to drive prescriptions and insurance approvals, such as reduction in serum lipids, reduction in hepatic fat, meaningful reductions in blood pressure which we’re achieving, unlike some other compounds in development, with only minimal increases in heart rate.
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With these details in mind, let's take a look at some of the least obese countries in the world.
Our Methodology
To compile our list of the least obese countries in the world, we used data from the World Obesity Federation sorted by the percentage of adult males that are obese in a country. The 25 countries with the lowest percentages are listed below.
Least Obese Countries in the World
25. Republic of Guinea
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.87%
The Republic of Guinea is a West African coastal country that is one of the poorest nations in the world with a GDP per capita of $1,346.
24. Central African Republic
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.86%
The Central African Republic is a landlocked African nation with a nominal GDP per capita of $496.
23. Democratic Republic of Congo
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.73%
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the largest countries in Africa in terms of area.
22. Republic of Zambia
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.72%
The Republic of Zambia is another underdeveloped African country. It relies primarily on copper for its exports.
21. Union of the Comoros
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.44%
The Union of the Comoros is an island African nation that exports agricultural products.
20. Republic of Mozambique
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.42%
The Republic of Mozambique is another African country with low income and high poverty, which ironically also makes it one of the least obese countries in the world.
10. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.36%
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a landlocked Asian country with low levels of human development and a per capita income of just $611.
18. Republic of Chad
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.23%
The Republic of Chad is a landlocked African nation with a per capita income of $755.
17. Republic of Madagascar
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 3.11%
The Republic of Madagascar is one of the largest island nations in the world.
16. Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.98%
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an Asian country whose unprocessed and varied diet brings it on our list of countries with the lowest levels of obesity.
15. Republic of Kenya
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.97%
The Republic of Kenya is one of the more developed countries in Africa with a GDP per capita of $2,255.
14. Republic of India
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.87%
The Republic of India is one of the most populous nations in the world and has a predominantly vegetarian diet.
13. Kingdom of Cambodia
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.84%
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country with high levels of fish in its diet.
12. Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.80%
The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is a South Asian landlocked country with a GDP per capita of $1,293.
11. Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.76%
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is a Southeast Asian country with Australia as its closest neighbor.
10. Burkina Faso
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.70%
Burkina Faso is a landlocked Western country that ranks low in global obesity levels due to high levels of food insecurity.
9. Republic of the Niger
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.58%
The Republic of the Niger is a Western African state with a low per capita income of $561.
8. People's Republic of Bangladesh
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.37%
The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a South Asian country with fish as its main protein source.
7. Republic of Malawi
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.31%
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked Southeastern African country with a GDP per capita of just $523.
6. Republic of Burundi
Percentage of Obese Adult Males: 2.20%
The Republic of Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a stunningly low per capita income of $292. High food shortages also make it one of the least obese countries in the world.
Click to continue reading and see 5 Least Obese Countries in the World.
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Disclosure: None. 25 Least Obese Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.