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Malaysia tipped the ASEAN scale as having the highest share of the population being classified as obese in 2019, with over ** percent of its population classed as obese. Contrastingly, just over *** percent of Vietnam’s population was considered obese in 2019.

Obesity in APAC

The Asia Pacific region has the highest number of overweight and obese people in the world. Additionally, Australia and New Zealand had the highest share of overweight children globally. Diets across the region are rapidly changing as new food trends emerge. The development of economies across the region has made food more affordable and the transition from agriculture to industrialization has made employment for many citizens less physically demanding. These factors can be seen as having contributed to the rise of obesity across the region.

Poor diets

However, as the obesity rate increases, the levels of food insecurity across the Asia Pacific region have also risen. Food insecurity in South Asia has notably risen steadily since 2015. Malnutrition and undernourishment continue to be problems for the region, with many of its citizens not consuming enough essential vitamins and minerals in their diets. Furthermore, a low share of children in South and East Asia were eating from the minimum number of food groups in 2019.