Obesity is a chronic complex disease that is responsible for major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Recently, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath took to Linkedin and highlighted that rich countries are fat — and poor countries are not.
In a detailed post, Kamath shared that Obesity rates in wealthy nations average 55%, while poorer ones hover around 22%. But Japan? With a 5.6% obesity rate, they’ve cracked the code — and stand alone among the world’s top economies.
Comparatively, Luxembourg, with a GDP per capita of $126,598, weighs in at 18.9% obesity. Norway isn’t far behind — $108,439 per capita income and 19.5% obesity.
Switzerland holds at 12.5% obesity on $94,799 GDP per capita. Even ultra-efficient Singapore can’t avoid creeping waistlines, with 14% obesity and $88,429 GDP per capita. Surprisingly, the United States, where a GDP of $77,980 comes with a 42.7% obesity rate — nearly half the population.
Dr. Pawan Kumar, Director & CEO of Livasa Hospitals told Financial Express.com that obesity is not merely a public health problem — it’s a ticking time bomb for our individual health and the future economy of the nation.
“In only 2019, excess weight and obesity cost India an astounding $28.95 billion, equivalent to 1% of our GDP. If left unchecked, the economic cost of this crisis is projected to soar to $838.6 billion, or 2.5% of GDP, by 2060. But more than the numbers, the true toll of obesity is the loss of healthy productive years of life. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension thrive on it — setting individuals down a path of poor health and cost. This is not only about health care costs; it’s about unrealised potential, lost productivity and a decline in the work force,” Dr. Kumar said.
To be fighting obesity isn’t so much to be fighting a condition; it’s to be fighting to ensure a healthier, wealthier future for individuals and for the nation as a whole, he said.
Shubham Swami, Founder of Daily All Day said that obesity is one of the major concerns as over 1.25 crore children between the ages of 5 to 9 are overweight according to a study published in Lancet Journal and these numbers are increasing continuously which is a matter of concern.
“To deal with this issue everyone has to come together to deal with this problem. It not only affects health but also affects the economy as obesity leads to stress and reduces life which results in reduced productivity. Employees suffering from obesity-related illnesses take more sick leaves and may struggle with workplace performance, leading to lower output and increased costs for businesses. Also, higher insurance premiums and medical expenses burden both employers and employees,” Swami told Financial Express.com.
Obesity affects national economic growth by limiting workforce participation and innovation. An unhealthy workforce results in a decline in GDP, weakening a country’s competitiveness on a global scale, he said.
“Addressing obesity through preventive healthcare, public awareness campaigns, and lifestyle interventions can help mitigate these economic losses while improving overall well-being,” he told Financial Express.com.
What Japan is doing differently?
But Japan’s case is quite interesting. The Japanese diet is heavy on fish, vegetables, and fermented foods, and light on dairy, butter, and meat. Kamath shared that in Japanese cuisine, the portion size is extremely small and their culture promotes “Hara Hachi Bu” — stopping when you’re 80 percent full.
Interestingly, cities in Japan are built differently and walking and biking are part of daily life. Moreover, they also have a law — the Metabo Law — that literally requires companies to measure employees’ waistlines every year, Kamath shared.