A third of the population suffers from obesity

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Deputy Minister of Health Yevgeny Kamkin said that every third Russian suffers from obesity, while official statistics recorded nearly 2.5 million obese people.

According to official data, approximately 2.5 million people in Russia suffer from obesity, but in reality, every third Russian suffers from this disease. This was announced by Russian Deputy Minister of Health Evgeny Kamkin on the sidelines of the Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Kamkin said at the symposium “Obesity is a global epidemic in the 21st century”: “Statistics for 2023 indicate that the number of officially registered obese people is approximately 2.5 million people, that is, 2% of the country’s population. These are the statistics.” "But their number is much larger, and can reach a third of the total population."

Kamkin pointed out that it is now necessary in Russia to identify these patients and provide appropriate treatment or make recommendations to them correctly, because obesity causes serious economic damage to the country, amounting to 0.7% of the gross domestic product.

The Deputy Minister of Health also cited international statistics, saying: “According to the World Health Organization, the number of obese people in the world has tripled over the past forty years. At the same time, the incidence of obesity in children aged 5 years has increased.” And 19 years from 1% to 7%.”

He added: "According to the World Health Organization, obesity is responsible for 2.8 million deaths, which constitutes 4.8% of the total number of deaths."