WHO’s latest projections indicate that globally in 2005:
* approximately 1.6 billion adults (age 15+) were overweight;
* at least 400 million adults were obese.
WHO further projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
At least 20 million children under the age of 5 years are overweight globally in 2005. Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.
(Source: WHO fact sheet September 2006)
