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Healthobesity

Youth Obesity Is At New Highs Globally. See Where It’s Increased the Most Over the Past 20 Years.

By
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
and
Brian O'Keefe
Brian O'Keefe
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By
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
and
Brian O'Keefe
Brian O'Keefe
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November 22, 2017, 10:00 AM ET
Map shows change in youth obesity 1996-2016
Map shows change in youth obesity 1996-2016Nicolas Rapp
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The world is getting much, much heavier. And we can expect a massive increase in obesity-related medical costs as a result. Obesity rates are at new highs in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the CDC, with 40% of adults qualifying as obese. But as the graphic shows, obesity is increasingly a global problem—and one that affects a growing number of children. A new study by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization found that child and teen obesity has increased 10-fold worldwide over the past 40 years. The World Obesity Federation estimates that the global cost of treating obesity-related health problems will reach $1.2 trillion annually by 2025.

Click here if you can’t see the interactive graphic.

A version of this article appears in the Dec. 1, 2017 issue of Fortune with the headline “Weight of the World.”

About the Authors
Nicolas Rapp
By Nicolas RappInformation Graphics Director
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Nicolas Rapp is the former information graphics director at Fortune.

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By Brian O'Keefe
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