33% of Jordanians are obese — study

AMMAN — Jordan ranked among the worst countries of the world in terms of obesity, with 33 per cent of its population being obese, according to a report issued recently.

Oxfam’s World Food Index 2013 showed that the worst on the index in terms of obesity alone is Kuwait, with 42 per cent of the population being obese. 

Saudi Arabia came in second place with the United States and Egypt, where one in every three of their population is obese.

The study ranked Saudi Arabia as the worst in the unhealthy eating index, while other countries in the bottom of the index also include Jordan, Fiji, Kuwait, Mexico and the US.

According to the report, 14.4 per cent of Jordan’s population are diabetic, while 17.9 per cent of the population in Saudi Arabia have diabetes.

According to Oxfam, around the world, one in eight people go to bed hungry every night despite there being enough food for everyone. 

“Over-consumption, misuse of resources and waste are common elements of a system that leaves hundreds of millions without enough to eat,” the organisation said in a statement posted on its website.

To better understand the challenges that people face getting enough of the right food, Oxfam has compiled a global snapshot of 125 countries indicating the best and worst places to eat. 

“It is the first of its kind and reveals the different challenges that people face depending on where they live,” the organisation said.

The index listed the Netherlands as No. 1 in the world “for having the most plentiful, nutritious, healthy and affordable diet, beating France and Switzerland into second place”.

Chad is last in the 125th spot behind Ethiopia and Angola, according to Oxfam.

European countries occupy the entire top 20 bar — Australia ties in eighth place — while the US, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and Canada all fall outside. African countries occupy the bottom 30 places in the table except for four. Laos, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are there too.