Obesity in UK ‘costing more than war’

Obesity is a greater burden on the UK’s economy than armed violence, war and terrorism, costing the country nearly £47bn (€58bn) a year, a report has found.

The study, commissioned by consultancy firm McKinsey, revealed obesity has the second-largest economic impact on the UK behind smoking, generating an annual loss equivalent to 3% of GDP.

More than 2.1bn people around the world — or nearly 30% of the global population — are now overweight or obese, with the figure set to rise to almost half of the world’s adult population by 2030, according to the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), which carried out the report.