Reel by Velocity Charts | Data

Velocity Charts | Data@velocitychartsyt

Both got rich. Only one got heavy. The United States and Japan are two of the richest countries on Earth. Both have McDonald's on every corner, convenience stores everywhere, desk jobs and long commutes. One quadrupled its obesity rate. The other barely moved. In 1980, 11.8% of American adults were obese. By 1992: one in five. By 2003: one in three. By 2018: two in five. Today: 41.8%. Japan over the same 44 years went from 1.6% to 5.2% - it has NEVER crossed 6%. An 8x gap between two countries of similar wealth. It isn't genetics alone: portion sizes, food environment, car dependence, school lunches and walkable cities all diverge. Japan even weighs its 40-74 year olds annually by law (the 2008 Metabo law). USA: 11.8% to 41.8% Japan: 1.6% to 5.2% What do you think explains the gap? Follow @velocitychartsyt for complex data made simple - money, power and tech at scale, one chart at a time. Data: WHO Global Health Observatory via Our World in Data - share of adults with BMI over 30, crude estimates, 1980-2024. Modeled estimates from surveys, not censuses. For educational purposes only. Music: Bring Me Back (feat. Nieulotni) - Nieulotni, Adikop [NCS Release] · Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds · https://ncs.io #obesity #usa #japan #health #nutrition