Adult obesity in Egypt is the highest in the world

A new study has revealed that more than 2 billion adults and children around the world are either overweight or obese ... and Egypt is in the lead. 

The researchers behind the study - published in the New England Journal of Medicine - analyzed data from 68.5 million people between 1980 and 2015 across 195 countries and territories. 

The study found that 35 percent of Egyptian adults (around 19 million Egyptians) suffer from obesity - the highest rate in the world. 

The results also revealed that over 10 percent of children (3.6 million) are overweight.

"Obesity is a tremendous threat to health in Egypt. More than one in three Egyptians is obese – the highest rate in the world," said Dr. Ali Mokdad, one of the authors of the report, according to Egyptian Streets.

The results found that the United States has the highest percentage (13 percent) of obesity in children and young adults.

The study warns of the upward trend - which has only been increasing since 1980, doubling in more than 70 countries - as various health problems have been linked with being overweight including cardiovascular disease. 

In 2010, Egypt was named the "fattest African country," and the 14th fattest country in the world according to statistics shared by the World Health Organization. 

At that time, nearly 70 percent of the country's adult population was either overweight or obese. 

In 2012, a survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 62.2 percent of Egyptian adults were overweight with 31.3 percent being classified as obese. 

"This is more than a health issue," said Dr. Randa Abou el Naga of WHO in Egypt, at the time, according to The Guardian. 

Naga talked about the effects of lack of physical activity in terms of driving obesity. 

"City planning is responsible. There should be proper places for playing sports. Overcrowding in schools also means no sports classes; 75 percent of Egyptians aren’t doing any vigorous physical exercise," she said.