Obesity Rate in Asia
Asia has some of the world’s biggest contrasts in obesity levels. At one end of the ranking are Gulf states and a few West Asian countries with obesity rates above 35%, while at the other end countries such as Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, and Japan remain far lower. Obesity Rate in Asia compares adult obesity levels across 48 Asian countries, highlighting where obesity is most widespread and where it remains relatively uncommon.
See Also:
Obesity Rate in Asia Rankings
| # | Country | Obesity Rate (Both Sexes) | Global Rank | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇶🇦Qatar |
42.35% | 16 | Asia |
| 2 | 🇰🇼Kuwait |
41.32% | 20 | Asia |
| 3 | 🇬🇪Georgia |
40.12% | 23 | Asia |
| 4 | 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia |
39.21% | 26 | Asia |
| 5 | 🇧🇳Brunei |
37.72% | 29 | Asia |
| 6 | 🇮🇶Iraq |
36.83% | 33 | Asia |
| 7 | 🇧🇭Bahrain |
35.54% | 37 | Asia |
| 8 | 🇵🇸State of Palestine |
33.23% | 50 | Asia |
| 9 | 🇯🇴Jordan |
33.22% | 51 | Asia |
| 10 | 🇱🇧Lebanon |
31.48% | 57 | Asia |
| 11 | 🇺🇿Uzbekistan |
30.58% | 66 | Asia |
| 12 | 🇹🇷Turkey |
30.48% | 67 | Asia |
| 13 | 🇦🇪United Arab Emirates |
30.28% | 69 | Asia |
| 14 | 🇸🇾Syria |
29.93% | 70 | Asia |
| 15 | 🇴🇲Oman |
29.41% | 72 | Asia |
| 16 | 🇦🇿Azerbaijan |
29.26% | 74 | Asia |
| 17 | 🇦🇲Armenia |
28.57% | 79 | Asia |
| 18 | 🇮🇷Iran |
25.7% | 94 | Asia |
| 19 | 🇲🇳Mongolia |
25.52% | 96 | Asia |
| 20 | 🇨🇾Cyprus |
23.69% | 103 | Asia |
| 21 | 🇲🇾Malaysia |
23.61% | 104 | Asia |
| 22 | 🇵🇰Pakistan |
23.53% | 105 | Asia |
| 23 | 🇮🇱Israel |
23.25% | 107 | Asia |
| 24 | 🇰🇿Kazakhstan |
22.44% | 112 | Asia |
| 25 | 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan |
21.54% | 117 | Asia |
| 26 | 🇹🇲Turkmenistan |
21.22% | 119 | Asia |
| 27 | 🇹🇯Tajikistan |
21.03% | 121 | Asia |
| 28 | 🇦🇫Afghanistan |
18.77% | 130 | Asia |
| 29 | 🇲🇻Maldives |
18.15% | 133 | Asia |
| 30 | 🇸🇬Singapore |
16.76% | 137 | Asia |
| 31 | 🇹🇭Thailand |
15.51% | 144 | Asia |
| 32 | 🇧🇹Bhutan |
13.04% | 149 | Asia |
| 33 | 🇰🇵North Korea |
12.06% | 155 | Asia |
| 34 | 🇮🇩Indonesia |
12.03% | 156 | Asia |
| 35 | 🇾🇪Yemen |
11.57% | 160 | Asia |
| 36 | 🇱🇰Sri Lanka |
11.19% | 163 | Asia |
| 37 | 🇵🇭Philippines |
9.66% | 172 | Asia |
| 38 | 🇨🇳China |
9.07% | 175 | Asia |
| 39 | 🇱🇦Laos |
8.98% | 176 | Asia |
| 40 | 🇲🇲Myanmar |
8.29% | 178 | Asia |
| 41 | 🇮🇳India |
7.98% | 181 | Asia |
| 42 | 🇳🇵Nepal |
7.68% | 182 | Asia |
| 43 | 🇰🇷South Korea |
7.5% | 183 | Asia |
| 44 | 🇧🇩Bangladesh |
5.73% | 190 | Asia |
| 45 | 🇯🇵Japan |
5.19% | 192 | Asia |
| 46 | 🇰🇭Cambodia |
4.93% | 193 | Asia |
| 47 | 🇹🇱Timor-Leste |
3.29% | 197 | Asia |
| 48 | 🇻🇳Vietnam |
2.49% | 199 | Asia |
Key Findings
Qatar Has the Highest Obesity Rate in Asia
- Qatar ranks #1 in Asia with an obesity rate of 42.35%, followed by Kuwait (41.32%), Georgia (40.12%), Saudi Arabia (39.21%), and Brunei (37.72%).
- Several of Asia’s highest obesity rates are concentrated in Gulf and West Asian countries, where obesity has become a major public health challenge.
West Asia Dominates the Top of the Ranking
- Countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and the UAE all rank among the higher-obesity countries in Asia.
- This shows a strong regional concentration of obesity in West Asia compared with much of East and Southeast Asia.
Pakistan Sits Near the Middle of the Asian Ranking
- Pakistan records an obesity rate of 23.53%, placing it 22nd in Asia and 105th globally in this dataset.
- Pakistan’s obesity rate is higher than countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, and Japan, but lower than many Gulf states and parts of Central and West Asia.
East and Southeast Asia Tend to Have Lower Obesity Rates
- Countries such as Japan (5.19%), Vietnam (2.49%), Cambodia (4.93%), Bangladesh (5.73%), and South Korea (7.50%) rank among the lowest-obesity countries in Asia.
- These lower rates help pull Asia’s overall average below that of North America, South America, and Oceania.
Vietnam Has the Lowest Obesity Rate in Asia
- Vietnam ranks last in Asia with an obesity rate of just 2.49%, the lowest in the region and one of the lowest in the world.
- It is followed by Timor-Leste (3.29%), Cambodia (4.93%), Japan (5.19%), and Bangladesh (5.73%).
About Obesity Rate in Asia
Obesity in Asia is far from evenly distributed. Some countries — especially in the Gulf and parts of West Asia — record very high adult obesity rates, while much of East and Southeast Asia remains well below the global high-obesity group. Obesity Rate in Asia measures the percentage of adults classified as obese in each Asian country and ranks them from highest to lowest.
These differences reflect a mix of diet, income levels, urban lifestyles, physical activity, healthcare systems, and food environments. Looking at obesity across Asia helps reveal which parts of the continent face the heaviest obesity burden and how sharply obesity levels can vary from one country to another.
Definitions & Methodology
What does obesity rate in Asia measure?
Obesity rate in Asia shows the percentage of adults classified as obese in each Asian country. The ranking is based on the Obesity Rate (Both Sexes) value in the dataset.
How are Asian countries ranked?
Asian countries are ranked from highest to lowest according to their overall adult obesity rate. A higher percentage means a larger share of the adult population is living with obesity.
What unit is used?
All values are shown as percentages (%). For example, an obesity rate of 42.35% means about 42.35% of the adult population in that country is classified as obese.
Why do obesity rates vary so much across Asia?
Obesity rates across Asia are shaped by differences in diet, income levels, urbanization, physical activity, healthcare access, and the availability of processed foods. This is why Gulf countries and parts of West Asia often rank much higher than East and Southeast Asian countries.
Obesity Rate in Asia FAQs
Which country has the highest obesity rate in Asia?
Qatar has the highest obesity rate in Asia in this dataset at 42.35%, followed by Kuwait, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, and Brunei.
Which country has the lowest obesity rate in Asia?
Vietnam has the lowest obesity rate in Asia at 2.49%, followed by Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Japan, and Bangladesh.
Why are obesity rates higher in some Asian countries than others?
Obesity rates in Asia vary widely because diet, urban lifestyles, physical activity, income levels, healthcare systems, and food environments differ greatly across the continent.
Which part of Asia has the highest obesity rates?
West Asia and the Gulf region contain many of the highest-obesity countries in Asia, including Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
How is obesity rate in Asia measured?
Obesity rate in Asia is measured as the percentage of adults in each country who fall into the obesity category according to international public health definitions used in the dataset.