Conditions

World’s Fattest Country: Palau Tops List; USA Not Even In Top 10

By Hannah Grace | Update Date: Feb 13, 2017 07:40 AM EST

The world's fattest country has the highest proportion of obese people. Obesity affects nearly all countries in the world.

Many people have the impression that United States is one of the world's fattest countries. In the latest survey, it only ranks 12th place. United Kingdom is far from the top 10, ranking only at 27th place. There are around 29.8 percent obese among the Brits.

The world's fattest country is Palau, where 47.1 percent of the population are obese. The country is an archipelago with more than 500 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its population is just more than 20,000. That means that around two out of five citizens in the country are overweight. 

Following close to the world's fattest country are other small Pacific Island nations. Nauru comes in second with 45.1 percent obese people, Marshall Islands with 42.3 percent, Samoa with 41.6 percent and Tonga with 41.1 percent.

Some experts believed that the reason why obesity is high in these countries is because almost all foods in the region are imported and expensive. Fast-food chains become a cheaper and better alternative. Torba province, found in the most northern group of South Pacific Island, have already announced that it will prohibit importing foreign foods within the next two years.

Two countries in the Middle East are also among the fattest countries in the world. Qatar has 41 percent obese citizens, while Kuwait has 38.3 percent. The region experiences a 40 degree temperature which makes people avoid outdoor exercises like walking, jogging or cycling. Some Middle East countries have also adopted the western lifestyle of eating in fast-food restaurants.

The world's top ten fattest countries are: Palau, Nauru, Marshall Island, Samoa, Tonga, Qatar, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Kuwait and The Bahamas. Meanwhile, the 20 least obese countries in the world are: Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Eritrea, Madagascar, Vietnam, Congo, India, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Laos, Timor-Leste, Chad, Burundi, Central African Republic, Zambia, North Korea and Burma.

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