Half of world will be obese by 2035, health organization predicts

Half the world will be overweight by 2035, a health group warns.

The World Obesity Federation predicts over 4 billion people will be obese if preventive measures are not implemented, BBC News reported Thursday.

The findings show that overweight rates are rising fastest among kids, and that low to middle-income countries in Africa and Asia will undergo the starkest changes.

Those countries, the report explains, have dietary preferences which trend towards more highly-processed foods, in addition to increased levels of sedentary behavior, weaker policies on food supply and marketing. Healthcare services are lacking, too.

“Governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social and economic costs on to the younger generation,” said Prof. Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation.

The rises in obesity rates across the globe is also projected to cost roughly $4 trillion per year by 2035.

The report also acknowledges that the economic impact of obesity “is in no way a reflection of blame on people living with obesity.”

The data published in the report will be presented to the United Nations next week.