Top 25 Countries With the Highest Obesity Rates in Men (2022)

Obesity remains a pressing global health issue, with rates climbing in both developed and developing nations. In 2024, small island nations continue to dominate the list of countries with the highest prevalence of obesity in men, highlighting how globalization, lifestyle shifts, and diet transitions contribute to expanding waistlines.

Global Obesity Trends in Men

The top-ranking countries reveal a common pattern: many are Pacific Island nations where traditional diets have been replaced with high-calorie, processed foods. Limited access to healthcare, reduced physical activity, and imported diets are fueling a public health crisis in these regions.

Why Are Pacific Nations Leading in Obesity?

Many of the top countries are located in the Pacific Islands. Factors that contribute include:

• Import dependency: Processed food is cheaper and more available than traditional options.
• Reduced physical labor: Sedentary lifestyles are now common.
• Limited public health funding: Prevention and education programs are underdeveloped.

Health Risks of Male Obesity

High obesity rates in men are associated with:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Sleep apnea
• Certain cancers
• Reduced life expectancy

Global Ranking of Male Obesity by Country:

Rank	Country	Prevalence of obesity in Men
1	American Samoa	70%
2	Nauru	70%
3	Tokelau	67%
4	Cook Islands	66%
5	Niue	64%
6	Tonga	63%
7	Tuvalu	58%
8	Samoa	53%
9	French Polynesia	47%
10	United States of America	42%
11	Qatar	41%
12	Bahamas	40%
13	Palau	39%
14	Federated States of Micronesia	39%
15	Kuwait	39%
16	Romania	38%
17	Saudi Arabia	38%
18	Marshall Islands	38%
19	Saint Kitts and Nevis	38%
20	Puerto Rico	36%
21	Hungary	36%
22	Kiribati	36%
23	Malta	36%
24	Argentina	36%
25	Croatia	35%
26	Georgia	34%
27	Jordan	34%
28	Chile	34%
29	Belize	34%
30	Iraq	33%
31	New Zealand	33%
32	Bahrain	33%
33	Egypt	32%
34	Mexico	32%
35	Poland	32%
36	Australia	32%
37	Uruguay	32%
38	Slovakia	31%
39	Paraguay	31%
40	Czechia	31%
41	Ireland	31%
42	Brunei Darussalam	30%
43	Greece	30%
44	Panama	30%
45	State of Palestine	30%
46	Lebanon	30%
47	North Macedonia	29%
48	United Arab Emirates	29%
49	Nicaragua	29%
50	Canada	28%
51	Libya	28%
52	Uzbekistan	28%
53	Lithuania	28%
54	Barbados	28%
55	United Kingdom	27%
56	Oman	27%
57	Syrian Arab Republic	27%
58	Fiji	27%
59	Serbia	26%
60	Turkiye	26%
61	Cyprus	26%
62	Latvia	26%
63	Slovenia	26%
64	Costa Rica	26%
65	Brazil	25%
66	Kyrgyzstan	25%
67	Bermuda	24%
68	Antigua and Barbuda	24%
69	Greenland	24%
70	Russian Federation	24%
71	Bulgaria	24%
72	Dominican Republic	24%
73	Israel	24%
74	Iceland	24%
75	Peru	24%
76	Honduras	24%
77	El Salvador	23%
78	Bolivia	23%
79	Estonia	23%
80	Germany	23%
81	Ecuador	23%
82	Trinidad and Tobago	23%
83	Guatemala	23%
84	Mongolia	22%
85	Bosnia and Herzegovina	22%
86	Albania	22%
87	Moldova	22%
88	Portugal	22%
89	Finland	22%
90	Montenegro	21%
91	Andorra	21%
92	Luxembourg	21%
93	Norway	21%
94	Saint Lucia	21%
95	Venezuela	21%
96	Ukraine	21%
97	Seychelles	21%
98	Tajikistan	21%
99	Pakistan	20%
100	Azerbaijan	20%
101	Belarus	20%
102	Tunisia	20%
103	Armenia	20%
104	Belgium	20%
105	Suriname	20%
106	Turkmenistan	20%
107	Spain	19%
108	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	19%
109	Jamaica	19%
110	Cuba	19%
111	Kazakhstan	19%
112	Grenada	19%
113	Austria	19%
114	Colombia	19%
115	Dominica	18%
116	Iran	18%
117	Solomon Islands	18%
118	Guyana	18%
119	Italy	18%
120	Malaysia	18%
121	Sweden	17%
122	Vanuatu	17%
123	Papua New Guinea	17%
124	Singapore	16%
125	Algeria	16%
126	Denmark	16%
127	Eswatini	16%
128	Switzerland	15%
129	Netherlands	15%
130	Afghanistan	15%
131	South Africa	15%
132	Morocco	14%
133	Maldives	13%
134	Mauritius	13%
135	Liberia	13%
136	Taiwan	12%
137	Thailand	12%
138	Sudan	12%
139	Gabon	11%
140	Namibia	11%
141	Yemen	10%
142	Mali	10%
143	France	10%
144	Sao Tome and Principe	10%
145	Gambia	10%
146	Cameroon	10%
147	Bhutan	10%
148	Mauritania	9%
149	China	9%
150	South Korea	9%
151	Lesotho	9%
152	Cabo Verde	9%
153	Botswana	9%
154	North Korea	9%
155	Nigeria	9%
156	Comoros	8%
157	Equatorial Guinea	8%
158	Cote d’Ivoire	8%
159	Guinea Bissau	8%
160	Chad	8%
161	Japan	8%
162	Benin	7%
163	Philippines	7%
164	Sri Lanka	7%
165	Tanzania	7%
166	Haiti	7%
167	Angola	7%
168	Indonesia	7%
169	Mozambique	6%
170	Burundi	6%
171	Djibouti	6%
172	Central African Republic	6%
173	Kenya	6%
174	Guinea	6%
175	Somalia	6%
176	Lao PDR	6%
177	Togo	6%
178	Zimbabwe	6%
179	Myanmar	6%
180	India	5%
181	Ghana	5%
182	Zambia	5%
183	South Sudan	5%
184	Nepal	5%
185	Madagascar	5%
186	Niger	5%
187	DR Congo	4%
188	Congo	4%
189	Uganda	4%
190	Burkina Faso	4%
191	Senegal	4%
192	Malawi	3%
193	Cambodia	3%
194	Bangladesh	3%
195	Eritrea	3%
196	Sierra Leone	3%
197	Viet Nam	2%
198	Rwanda	2%
199	Timor-Leste	2%
200	Ethiopia	1%

What Is Obesity and What Does BMI Mean?

Obesity is a medical condition characterized by excessive body fat that can negatively affect a person’s health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a person is classified as obese when their Body Mass Index (BMI) is equal to or greater than 30 kilograms per square meter (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²).

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a simple screening tool used globally to categorize individuals based on their weight relative to their height. It is calculated using the following formula:

BMI = weight (kg) / [height (m)]²

For example, a person who weighs 70 kilograms and is 1.75 meters tall would have a BMI of:

70 / (1.75 × 1.75) = 22.86, which falls in the normal range.

BMI Classification:

• Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
• Normal weight: BMI between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight: BMI between 25 and 29.9
• Obesity: BMI 30 or above

While BMI is a useful population-level indicator of obesity, it does not distinguish between fat and muscle mass, and may not accurately reflect health status in all individuals. However, it remains a standard metric in public health data and obesity prevalence studies.

Source:

NcD-RisC, National Adult Body-Mass Index, 2022.