More than half the world will be overweight or obese by 2035: report

A report form the World Obesity Foundation has found that 51% of the world's population will qualify as overweight or obese by the year 2035.

The group's annual atlas outlined its projections showing that roughly 4 billion people will reach overweight status in just 12 years. Moreover, nearly a quarter, 24%, of the world's population will be obese by that same time. By contrast, 38% of the world was overweight in 2020 while just 14% were obese that year.

A person qualifies as overweight, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, should they have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25, while obese individuals have one of 30 or higher.

Younger individuals appear to be driving the lion's share of the increase. Young men aged 5-19 are projected to double their obesity rates from 10% to 20% during the 2020-2035 period. The proportion of obese young women, meanwhile, will more than double, rising from 8% in 2020 to 18% in 2035.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.