March 5, 2025
PETALING JAYA – Malaysia will only be able to turn the tide against rising obesity if it can effectively implement health policies that it already has in place, says the World Obesity Foundation.
In a report published in conjunction with World Obesity Day on March 4, the foundation said Malaysia is among 13 countries- representing 7% of nations – with an adequate health system to fight obesity.
Despite the policies, the report said the number of adults with high BMI in Malaysia will continue to rise from 8.14mil in 2010 to 10.17mil in 2015 and to 17.55mil in 2030.
The report noted experts cautioning that having policies is not enough.
Effective implementation, particularly in resource-limited settings, is crucial.
“Changing systems requires collective action by governments and in wider society,” said the report.
Malaysia currently has four out of five key policies surveyed for addressing obesity.
SOURCE: World Obesity Atlas 2025; GRAPHICS: THE STAR
These include taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks, taxes on foods high in fats, saturated fats, sugar and salt, subsidies for healthier foods, and taxes and incentives to promote physical activity.
The report said that the rise in obesity is especially pronounced in low-and-middle-income countries, which often lack the resources to manage the health system implications.
Southeast Asia, along with Africa and the Western Pacific are witnessing significant increases in obesity with an estimate increase of between 200% to 400% from 2010 to 2030.
Figures from the report show that within the Asean region, Malaysia is currently fourth – after Brunei, Thailand and Laos – for adults with high BMI and those living with obesity.
SOURCE: World Obesity Atlas 2025; GRAPHICS: THE STAR
Singapore is among two thirds of countries (126 out of 194) with none or only one of the five key policies needed to tackle rising obesity levels.
However, the proportion of adults living with obesity or are overweight are slightly lower in Singapore than in Malaysia.
“The number of adults living with obesity in the world is projected to more than double from 524 million in 2010 to 1.13 billion by 2030.
“Class II obesity levels, defined by a BMI over 35 kg/m², are expected to rise significantly, reaching 385 million adults globally, up from 157 million in 2010,” it noted.
President of the World Obesity Federation Simon Barquera said governments need to take a whole-of-society approach to addressing obesity.
He said this includes having food labelling and taxation, a built environment that gives people the opportunity to be active, challenging stigma, and better training for the health workforce to deliver people-centred obesity care.
“Obesity is a serious disease in its own right and a major driver of noncommunicable diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, with almost 4 million deaths per year attributable to obesity.
“More people die because of obesity than in road traffic accidents every year. We would be horrified if a country had no policy in place to reduce fatalities on the road, but many governments across the world have no serious plan to reduce death and illness caused by obesity.
The Federation emphasised the need for robust systems and collective societal engagement to drive meaningful change.