Socioeconomic development, longevity and prevalence of obesity and overweight: The retrospective longitudinal analysis of international data

DIALOGUES IN HEALTH. 2026. Vol. 8. Article 100317.

Liapin G., Vlassov V.

Objectives

Due to the economic growth at the end of the 20th century, people in low-income countries live longer but still spend most of their income on food. These countries, as well as affluent countries, demonstrate a rising prevalence of obesity. The interplay of longevity and obesity at different levels of economic development is not clear.

Methods

We used World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Global Burden of Disease data on population size, longevity, prevalence of obesity, and income.

Results

After stratifying countries by income, we found a long-term increase in life expectancy with an increase in the prevalence of obesity in countries of all income levels. In the countries of the richest quintile, the increase in longevity is not associated with a further increase in the prevalence of obesity.

Conclusions

The economic growth everywhere leads to an increase in the length of life and is associated with an increase in obesity prevalence. In poor countries, where access to food is limited and customs of consumption differ, socioeconomic development is associated with an increase in longevity and a large increase in prevalence of obesity. It may be the cause of the slower progress in life expectancy in the future.

Keywords: ожирение, obesity, epidemiology, Вирусная эпидемиология