The growth of obesity around the world has been "startling" in the last 30 years, researchers warn today.
The proportion of the world’s children classed as overweight and obese has increased by half – while among adults it has increased by 28%, according to the new analysis.
Some 671 million people worldwide are obese – and more than half live in the ten countries – the USA, China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan and Indonesia.
The UK has seen some of the biggest increases in obesity rates – with about 25% of adults now classed as obese, according to the report in The Lancet.
Among women obesity levels have risen fasted in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain – together with Honduras, the report shows.
Researchers analysed statistics in last year’s Global Burden of Disease Study.
They found high rates of obesity among children in some Pacific islands such as Samoa, Kiribati and Micronesia, where 30% of children are obese.
Researcher Professor Emmanuela Gakidou, from the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, said: "Our findings show that increases in the prevalence of obesity have been substantial, widespread, and have arisen over a short time.
"However, there is some evidence of a plateau in adult obesity rates that provides some hope that the epidemic might have peaked in some developed countries and that populations in other countries might not reach the very high rates of more than 40% reported in some developing countries."
She added: "In particular, urgent global leadership is needed to help low-and middle-income countries intervene to reduce excessive calorie intake, physical inactivity, and active promotion of food consumption by industry."
Writing in the journal, Professor Klim McPherson, of Oxford University, UK, said: "The solution has to be mainly political and the questions remain, as with climate change, where is the international will to act decisively in a way that might restrict economic growth in a competitive world, for the public’s health?"
Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Lancet 29 May 2014 [abstract]
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