Visitors to the Southbank are seen reflected in rainwater, in London, Britain, December 29, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS)

The World Obesity Federation's 2023 atlas predicts that 51% of the world, or more than 4 billion people, will be obese or overweight within the next 12 years.

Rates of obesity are rising particularly quickly among children and in lower income countries, the report found.

The cost to society is significant as a result of the health conditions linked to being overweight, more than 4 trillion US annually by 2035, or 3% of global GDP, the federation said.

It noted that "Governments and policymakers around the world need to do all they can to avoid passing health, social and economic costs on to the younger generation.”